Transfusion-associated fatalities: review of Bureau of Biologics reports 1976-1978.

Review of the 70 transfusion-associated fatalities reported to the Bureau of Biologics (BOB) between 1976 and 1978 revealed 44 acute hemolytic reactions, two delayed hemolytic reactions, five fatalities associated with acute respiratory failure, two cases of bacterial contamination, one graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR), ten cases of hepatitis, and six fatalities not associated with transfusion. Thirty-eight of 44 acute hemolytic reactions were due to ABO incompatibility. Clerical confusion was the cause of 33 of 37 cases in which error could be defined.