Overtransfusion?

Following a report in The Star about "Blood supply low in hospitals"

One of the said culprits was the increase in dengue cases leading to the need for transfusion. This raises questions as to whether we are transfusing patients necessarily.

Those of us who have treated dengue will know that on most occasions there is little need to transfuse. One of the main pathophysiology of dengue shock syndrome is the fact the plasma leaks out of the capillaries leading to hypovolemia and thus a drop in blood pressure. The treatment would be to replenish this fluid with intravenous fluids.

Even the drop in platelets rarely require transfusion unless there is evidence of excessive bleeding due to thrombocytopenia.

So are we overtransfusing our patients with dengue and putting them at risk of transfusion related complications?