Diagnosis of a possible transfusion reaction in a patient who has developed hypothermia either as a result of transfusion of cold blood products and/or during surgery

A colleague asks how other institutions address the diagnosis of a possible transfusion reaction in a patient who has developed hypothermia either as a result of transfusion of cold blood products and/or during surgery. For example, at the inquiring colleague's institution, a transfusion reaction is considered if the body temperature goes up at least 2F in association with transfusion, regardless of the baseline from which the increase occurs. The inquiring colleague describes a hypothermic patient who received many units of thawed FFP, then a unit of RBCs, at which time his body temperature was recorded at 97F. Following the aforementioned RBC transfusion, the patient's body temperature went up more than 2F to 99.7F. The inquiring colleague asks: "Should there be a baseline temperature or should this be a case by case issue to be handled by a Pathologist?" How would other institutions manage the aforementioned patient, or patients like the one being described?

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