CDC’s NHSN Hemovigilance Module Incorporates Revised TACO Definition
April 08, 2021
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Hemovigilance Module recently incorporated the
revised definition criteria for Transfusion-Associated Circulatory Overload (TACO) to reflect an international effort to standardize reporting of TACO.
The revised TACO definition applies to cases that occur up to 12 hours after transfusion. Combinations of signs and symptoms that can add up to meet the surveillance diagnostic criteria will help qualify cases where there may be no chest X-ray and/or record of elevated BNP concentrations as TACO.
The International Society of Blood Transfusion Working Party on Haemovigilance developed and validated the revised TACO definition in 2018 in collaboration with the International Haemovigilance Network and AABB. AABB
updated the AABB Pocket Quick Reference Guide on Adverse Reaction Definitions based on the NHSN Hemovigilance Module.