Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul, Associate Medical Director, oversees medical procedures, regulatory compliance and clinical trials at the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. She answers the question “What is TRALI?”

TRALI stands for transfusion-related acute lung injury. It is a rare, sometimes deadly respiratory complication that occurs within six hours after receiving a blood transfusion. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, low oxygen levels and excess fluid in the lungs. 

Better safety measures are needed for the nation’s blood supply, said two U.S. Food & Drug Administration leaders in a recent statement on the FDA website.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, advocated for technology that would kill or inactivate infectious agents in donated whole blood.

“Pathogen reduction technologies can address the infectious risk from viral and bacterial pathogens, enabling us to improve our assurance of safety and reduce the cost of testing,” the statement said.