Antihistaminic drugs in treatment of nonhemolytic transfusion reactions

With the introduction of the blood bank in this country in 1937,1the administrative responsibilities of blood replacement in patients have become centralized and organized. Placing the onus of adequate cross matching in the hands of a few has reduced the technical hazards of transfusion almost to an irreducible minimum. The value of transfusion therapy has been accorded increasing recognition through these years, being established without doubt by the experiences of World War II. Today it is recognized universally that no satisfactory substitute exists for blood when the need for it is indicated in a patient. Although the indications and necessity for blood transfusions are well established, hazards associated with its use are existent that may loom large enough in the minds of some physicians to cause hesitation in recommending it prophylactically or even at critical moments. The more common dangers or complications are (1) hemolytic transfusion reactions, (2)