April 2014—Most pathologists are trained to think of hypotensive transfusion reactions as rare events, and for the most part they are. But one pathologist’s experience suggests these reactions may be underreported, and perhaps on the rise. Greater recognition of these events could provide valuable information and help improve patient outcomes. “People often report these reactions as possibly related to transfusions, but the challenge to the pathologist is that the transfusion reaction workups are negative, for the most part. So they’re in a quandary as to whether the drop in blood pressure was because of the transfusion or other causes,” says Richard M. Scanlan, MD, clinical professor, vice chair of laboratory medicine, and director of the transfusion medicine service at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).
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