Patient risk

The estimated prevalence of bacterial contamination of platelet concentrates is approximately 1:1,500 units. For an average haematology/oncology patient receiving six platelet concentrates during the course of treatment, the contamination risk per patient can be as high as 1:250.

The risk of transfusion-related sepsis (TRS) has been estimated at 1:50,000 to 1:80,000 based on passive reporting. However, septic events are generally under-recognised and infrequently reported. An active haemovigilance system has reported a TRS rate 10 times higher than a passive one. This projects a TRS risk per patient of 1:833 to 1:1,333.

Current evidence indicates a favourable risk-benefit profile for the implementation of the INTERCEPT™ Blood System for platelets.

Reference: Kleinman S, Reed W and Stassinopoulos A, A patient-oriented risk-benefit analysis of pathogen-inactivated blood components: application to apheresis platelets in the United States, Transfusion (2013) 53, 1603-1618