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Report of 6131 Cases

FREDERICK M. OFFENKRANTZ, M.D.; GEORGE BABCOCK, Jr., M.D.

AMA Arch Surg. 1958;76(3):379-383.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Approximately 4,000,000 blood transfusions are given annually in the United States.¹ This widespread use of fresh and stored whole blood has focused increasing attention on the prevention and treatment of transfusion reactions.

Pyrogenic reactions occur most frequently^2-7 and are characterized by chills, fever, vomiting, nausea, and, in severe cases, prostration. They are caused by exogenous pyrogens introduced by the donor's blood or by contaminated transfusion equipment.⁸

Allergic reactions, next in frequency, include urticaria, angioneurotic edema, dyspnea, asthma, and, occasionally, anaphylactic shock. They are caused by the release of histamine to its receptor site in the cells. This has been confirmed by Muñoz-Baratta,⁹ who was able to produce the allergic type of transfusion reactions by injections of histamine. Winter and Taplin^10,11 believe that allergic reactions to transfusion are 10 times as frequent among patients with a history of allergy; however, in earlier experiments, De Gowin and . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Cranford, N. J.; Rahway, N. J.

From Rahway General Hospital, Rahway, N. J., and Riverside Hospital, Boonton, N. J.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication June 4, 1957.

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