The MHRA has warned that using a standard intravenous infusion set instead of a dedicated blood-transfusion set can cause severe patient harm.
A standard IV set may result in too little blood being delivered or in haemolysis, the destruction of red blood cells. Both outcomes can have serious clinical consequences.
The regulator advises organisations to store transfusion sets separately in clearly labelled, original packaging and to ensure clinical and non-clinical staff can distinguish them. Blood-transfusion sets typically include a filter of about 170–200 micrometres, compared with roughly 15 micrometres in some IV sets.
Before starting a transfusion, staff should verify the set, check pump settings where applicable and complete the recommended pre-transfusion checks. Colour coding alone should not be relied upon because manufacturers do not use a uniform system.
