DEVELOPMENT OF THE POST-TRANSFUSION HEPATITIS IN THE PATIENTS

Abstract

During the past 14 years from 1965 to 1978, the total incidence of post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) in our patients undergoing thoracic surgery was 20.4%. In the first phase of this study from 1965 to 1967, almost bloods were supplied from commercial blood bank.The post-transfusion hepatitis markedly developed in 45.4% of 33 patients. The hepatitis risk of PTH was very high in this period. So based on these fact, every possible means were tried to exclude bloods from hepatitis carriers. And we converted donor blood from paid to volunteer origin from 1968. But no significant reduction in PTH could be shown and incidence was still 20.3%. Fortunately, we were able to screen all donors blood for HBs Ag prior to transfusion and the incidence of PTH fell to 12.5% as would be expected.In 94 transfused recipients, 8 cases (8.5%) had HBs Ag and 22 cases (23.4%) had HBs Ab. There have been 12 cases of PTH, 8 cases (8.5%) of type B hepatitis and 4 cases (4.3%) of non-B hepatitis. In 137 non transfused cases, 6 cases (4.4%) with HBs Ag positive and 9 cases (6.6%) with HBs Ab positive were observed and unexpectedly, 14 cases (10.2%) suffered from hepatitis were revealed.Conclusively, the exclusion of commercial and HBs Ag positive donor blood has markedly reduced the incidence of type B post-transfusion hepatitis. But it was very interested that 14 cases suffered from hepatitis without transfusion. So the development of new serologic detection methods for non-B hepatitis virus is necessary to prevent post-operative hepatitis.