TRANSFUSION-RELATED ACUTE LUNG INJURY - DIAGNOSTIC CONFIRMATION BY DEMONSTRATING GRANULOCYTIC ANTIBODIES

In two patients, a 50-year-old woman (case 1) and a 2-year-old girl (case 2) acute shortness of breath requiring artificial ventilation developed 3-5 hours after infusion of two erythrocyte concentrates in case 1 and unfiltered platelet-enriched plasma (20 ml/kg) in case 2. The chest radiograph showed diffuse infiltrations in the lungs of both patients. After administration of catecholamines and respirator therapy, extubation was possible in the first patient after two days, in the second after five days. In neither case had there been any evidence of hypervolaemia, heart failure or infection to explain the lung findings. However, the serum of case 1 and the serum of the platelet donour had antibodies against granulocytes. The granulocyte-compatibility test (between patient serum and donour granulocytes) was positive. This confirmed the clinical suspicion of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). However, demonstration of antibodies was not only important for the diagnosis, but made it possible to recognize a blood donour whose serum contained antibodies against granulocytes which can provoke TRALI.