Blood, Blood Components, Plasma, and Plasma Products

This review of the 2013–2014 publications on important side effects of blood, blood components, plasma, and plasma products covers albumin, blood transfusion (erythrocytes, granulocytes, and platelets), blood substitutes (hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers), plasma products (alpha1-antitrypsin, C1 esterase inhibitor concentrate, cryoprecipitate, and fresh frozen plasma), plasma substitutes (dextrans, etherified starches, and gelatin), globulins (intravenous immunoglobulin, subcutaneous immunoglobulin, and Anti-D immunoglobulin), coagulation proteins (factor I, factor II, factor VIIa, factor VIII, factor IX, prothrombin complex concentrate, and von Willebrand factor/factor VIII concentrates), erythropoietin and derivatives, thrombopoietin and receptor agonists, transmission of infectious agents through blood donation, and stem cells. This chapter includes blood products for which hemovigilance is in force, and allows the reader to stay up to date on newly recognized and published data in the blood product arena. Since blood and plasma products are available through blood donation, prevention of transmitted infections is of extreme importance and is also discussed here.