This article is about the safety of transfusing plasma from female donor. This was said to be dangerous and unsafe and recommended by the U.S. blood banking industry to avoid because it could cause a life-threatening antibody reaction. However, now scientist have discovered that plasma from women donors might actually be more beneficial than not for heart surgery patients. Duke University Medical Center stated patients that were treated prior to these warnings against the transfusion were only half as likely to have lung problems and about 45% less likely to die within 10 days after surgery. The short term responses seemed more beneficial, but long term survival rates were the same whether the person received plasma from women or men.
Surgeons are so concerned about the plasma from females because of a rare occurrence known as transfusion-related acute lung injury, TRALI. This phenomenon has very similar symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome. TRALI kills about 200 people in the U.S. each year and is the cause of half of all transfusion related deaths. It occurs within six hours and is a buildup of fluids in the lungs. TRALI is caused by antibodies reacting with immune cells, and these antibodies are more commonly found in females.
To take precautions places such as the American Red Cross use men plasma for transfusions and women plasma for preparing drugs and other things. Other institutions don’t take women plasma from women who have had more than one child. Then in some cases hospitals just screen all the plasma for antibodies.
Maugh II, Thomas. "Study disputes concerns over plasma from female donors." Los Angeles Times. 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2010.
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