Epidemiology of Pediatric Transfusion Reactions

Question  What are the rates and epidemiology of pediatric and neonatal transfusion reactions in the US?

Findings  In this cohort study examining 228 886 transfusions administered to 22 628 pediatric patients across 8 US hospitals, the overall transfusion reaction rate was 0.51%. Allergic reactions and febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions occurred more often than in published all-age National Healthcare Safety Network data.

Meaning  These findings suggest pediatric transfusion reactions occur more frequently compared with previously published data from predominantly adult patients, underscoring the importance of pediatric-specific hemovigilance to improve recognition, reporting, and safety monitoring.