ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we have dealt w ith acute com plications o f b lood tran s fusion w hich is the m ost com m on type o f reaction observed in practice. Delayed reactions can be arb itra rily defined as reactions occurring betw een 24 hours and 2 weeks after transfusion . Late com plications can arb itra rily be defined as com pli cations, w hich occur from 2 weeks to 30 years after a transfusion or series o f tran s fusions. However, there is no absolute d is tinction betw een acute and delayed re actions, and, to som e extent, they can overlap, for exam ple, patien ts m ay experi ence sym ptom s such as fever several ho u rs after com pleting a red cell transfusion . These are generally considered w ith in the spectrum o f acute reactions.
