The development of TACO is thought to be due to a 2-hit mechanism. The first hit is the state of the patient and the second hit is the blood transfusion itself. A patient may be receiving blood due to any number of causes and may have heart or kidney dysfunction which can lead to excess fluid. Upon transfusion of the blood product, the patient is overwhelmed by the excess fluid and develops symptoms related to volume<unk> . The clinical symptoms from TACO are due to an excess of fluid within the<unk>  system. As a result, there is increased pressure within the<unk>  system, resulting in fluid moving into the surrounding tissues. In the lungs, the extra fluid accumulates into the air sacs within the lung, causing difficulties in oxygen getting into the blood. This results in low blood oxygen levels and shortness of breath. In the arms and legs, the fluid accumulates in the tissues, causing swelling. This is most prominent in the legs due to the effects of gravity. Conditions that predispose to increased hydrostatic pressure (heart failure and renal insufficiency) or decreased oncotic pressure (liver failure, malnutrition, nephrotic syndrome) places individuals at increased risk for TACO.
Transfusion associated circulatory overload
Transfusion-related acute lung injury
Transfusion-related immunomodulation
Tumor lysis syndrome
Transfusion transmitted infection
Delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction
Acute hemolytic transfusion reaction
Culture-bound syndrome