The transfusion of blood products has evolved from a life-saving emergency treatment into a broad therapeutic and scientific field with complex risks and interactions. Annually, millions of blood products are processed and administered in Germany alone. While modern hemovigilance systems effectively document acute reactions, there is a lack of comprehensive data on long-term health effects. The Blood Donor and Recipient Long-Term Outcome Study (LOS) is establishing a multidisciplinary long-term registry at the Bundeswehr Hospital Berlin to examine health outcomes and develop a scientific foundation for new guidelines in transfusion medicine. This article discusses the scientific basis, study design, and importance of the registry.
Jersch et al. (Thu,) studied this question.