• Aggrey Dhabangi, Ezra Musisi, and Dorothy Kyeyune.
• Child Health and Development Centre, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
• Afr Health Sci. 2020 Jun 1; 20 (2): 977-983.

BackgroundThe majority of blood transfusion safety strategies recommended by the WHO for resource-poor countries focus mainly on reducing the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). Other technologies such as leucocyte reduction may represent complementary strategies for improving transfusion safety.ObjectiveTo evaluate the role of using leucocyte reduced blood in a resource-poor country.MethodsPre-storage leucocyte reduced (LR) red blood cells (RBCs) were specially prepared for the Tissue Oxygenation by Transfusion in severe Anaemia and Lactic acidosis (TOTAL) study, at the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services from February 2013 through May 2015. Quality control tests were performed to evaluate the procedure, and the incremental cost of an LR-RBC unit was estimated.ResultsA total of 608 RBCs units were leucocyte reduced. Quality control tests were performed on 55 random RBCs units. The median (IQR) residual leucocyte count was 4 (0·5-10) WBC/uL, equivalent to 1·8x106 WBC per unit. The estimated incremental unit cost of leucocyte reduction was $37 USD per LR RBC unit.ConclusionLeucocyte reduction of blood in a resource-poor country is doable although relatively costly. As such, its value in resource-poor countries should be weighed against other transfusion safety propositions.© 2020 Dhabangi A et al.

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