Indications for blood transfusion among children in a suburban teaching hospital

Blood transfusion (BT) has remained a valuable treatment modality in children. Though lifesaving it has associated
risks. Thus, its use has to be judicious. There is a lack of information on the indications for BT, which may impact
the prevalence of these in children in sub–Saharan Africa. Evidence-based information on the indications for BT in
children will be useful in ensuring the safety of BT amongst children and possibly its prevention. Objective: To
determine the indications for blood transfusion among paediatric patients in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital
(ISTH). Material and Methods: This was a 12-month retrospective study conducted in the Department of Paediatrics
of ISTH (from 1st May 2008 to 30th April 2009). The case files of children, who had blood transfusion orders, were
retrieved from the medical records department and relevant data was extracted. The data was analysed for age
groups, wards and indications for blood transfusion. Results: The prevalence of blood transfusion is 14.3% with a
blood transfusion rate of 5.1 per week. Blood transfusion was highest in the Children Emergency Room, commonest age group (60.4%) was > 28 days to 5 years with severe malaria as the commonest (46.4%) indication. Neonatal
jaundice was the most common indication (48.5%) for transfusion amongst neonates and in SCBU. Conclusion:
Malaria control programmes including malaria vaccine and surveillance for neonatal jaundice need to be
strengthened to reduce blood transfusion rates.