Since 2006, AABB has been a leader in the establishment of the US national hemovigilance program, from its beginning as a public-private collaboration for the program design to the implementation of a system to track adverse reactions and incidents associated with blood collection and transfusion. AABB has a role in recipient hemovigilance through the AABB Center for Patient Safety, a component Patient Safety Organization (PSO) of the AABB, the only nationally listed PSO dedicated to transfusion safety. Through collecting and analyzing adverse events in the context of transfusion, trends and best practices can be identified and interventions developed to significantly improve patient care and safety.
AABB coordinates multiple vigilance programs, including the West Nile Virus, Chagas Disease, and Zika Virus Biovigilance Networks and the AABB Blood Survey - a statistically validated survey of blood collection and utilization by the AABB membership.
Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form
The AABB Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form intended for use by hospitals and blood centers for communicating information about transfusion reactions to the blood supplier, particularly when there are multiple suppliers to the hospital transfusion service. The form is intended to streamline the process for hospitals and provide complete information for blood suppliers when investigating transfusion reactions. The form and FAQ were developed through a collaboration between the AABB PSO Advisory Committee and the Donor Hemovigilance Working Group.
Additional comments are welcomed as we pilot the form and should be forwarded to
hemovigilance@aabb.org with the subject line: "Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form" by close of business on
Friday, March 30, 2018.
Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form
Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form FAQ
Proposed Revised TACO Definition
Rationale for the revision
The revision of the ISBT/IHN definition for transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) was launched in 2013 at the request of members. The draft in the link below is the final draft for validation and a two-part validation exercise is currently underway. The draft explains the rationale for the revision and contains revised reporting criteria.
The revision group recognizes that the chief priority is to adopt standard reporting criteria which will enable professionals to raise awareness of TACO and lead to improved reporting, research and reduction of transfusion complications. The revision group includes representatives from AABB, and this opens possibilities for harmonization. In future, the criteria may need to be adjusted in the light of accumulating evidence. Click on the link below for the draft of the revised reporting criteria for TACO.
Proposed Revised TACO Definition
Participate in the Phase II Validation Study
2016 Donor Hemovigilance Case Validation Exercise
AABB, the International Haemovigilance Network (IHN) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) Working Group conducted a study to validate the harmonized donor hemovigilance definitions of complications related to blood donation. Experts from around the globe were asked to evaluate 30 donor cases and select at least one donor adverse event category, severity grading and imputability based on the harmonized definitions (Standard for Surveillance of Complications Related to Blood Donation). Responses were collected through a formatted answer sheet until July 31st, 2016. Preliminary results (Summary Presentation) were presented at ISBT in Dubai in September 2016.
Standard for Surveillance of Complications Related to Blood Donation
Invitation and Donor Reaction Validation Cases
Donor Reaction Case Validation Answer Scheme
Donor Hemovigilance Validation Exercise Proposed Answer Sheet
Donor Hemovigilance Case Validation Summary Presentation