Receiving a plasma or platelet transfusion from donors who had a prior COVID-19 infection or who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 does not increase the risk of adverse outcomes, according to the results of a new study from Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC). The study, published Feb. 26 in
Transfusion, found no link between these transfusions and an increased risk of thrombosis, respiratory complications or hospital mortality.
In the retrospective study, investigators analyzed data from 7,773 hospitalized adult patients who received plasma or platelet transfusions between June 2020 and March 2022 and linked donor SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination history with recipient outcomes. Among the 19,295 plasma units transfused, 4,993 were from vaccinated donors and 1,106 were from previously infected donors. Among the 15,167 platelet units transfused, 8,530 were from vaccinated donors and 1,368 were from previously infected donors.
The study found no association between transfusing blood components containing high levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and adverse clinical events. Among 7,773 hospitalized patients, there were 251 cases of thromboses, 700 instances of increased respiratory requirements and 1,443 deaths.
The findings support
previous research indicating that vaccine components do not remain in the bloodstream for prolonged periods and that antibodies generated through vaccination function similarly to those produced by natural infection. While concerns about blood safety have persisted, the study reinforces the safety of transfusions from vaccinated and previously infected donors.
“Our study is the first to link specific SARS-CoV-2 antibody data from blood donors with the patients who received their blood, and we found no evidence that patients who had received blood from a donor who had been vaccinated was affected in a negative way by that blood product,”
said lead author Nareg Roubinian, MD, an adjunct investigator at the KPNC Division of Research. “In fact, in many cases, the blood may have helped save their lives.”
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and conducted in collaboration with the American Red Cross, Vitalant, the Vitalant Research Institute and the University of British Columbia.
