Transfusion essay March 2010


A 60-year-old female patient was prescribed 1 unit of apheresis platelets and 4 units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP). The platelets and first 3 units of FFP were transfused without incident over a period of an hour and a half.  Ten minutes after starting the 4th unit of FFP she became acutely short of breath and hypotensive with a temperature of 38°C. Discuss the differential diagnosis, laboratory investigation and management of this adverse reaction.