BLOOD TRANFUSION

What is Blood
Transfusion?
 A blood transfusion is a safe, common procedure in
which blood is given to you through an intravenous (IV)
line in one of your blood vessels. Blood transfusions are
done to replace blood lost during surgery or a serious
injury. A transfusion also may be done if your body can't
make blood properly because of an illness.
During a blood transfusion, a small needle is used to
insert an IV line into one of your blood vessels. Through
this line, you receive healthy blood. The procedure
usually takes 1 to 4 hours, depending on how much blood
you need.
Blood transfusions are very common. Each year, almost 5
million Americans need a blood transfusion. Most blood
transfusions go well. Mild complications can occur. Very
rarely, serious problems develop.
 Important
Information
About Blood
The heart pumps blood through a network of arteries
and veins throughout the body. Blood has many vital
jobs. It carries oxygen and other nutrients to your
body's organs and tissues. Having a healthy supply of
blood is important to your overall health.
Blood is made up of various parts, including red blood
cells, white blood cells, platelets (PLATE-lets), and
plasma. Blood is transfused either as whole blood
(with all its parts) or, more often, as individual parts.
Blood Types
Every person has one of the following blood types: A, B, AB, or O.
Also, every person's blood is either Rh-positive or Rh-negative.
So, if you have type A blood, it's either A positive or A negative.
The blood used in a transfusion must work with your blood type.
If it doesn't, antibodies (proteins) in your blood attack the new
blood and make you sick.
Type O blood is safe for almost everyone. About 40 percent the
population has type O blood. People with this blood type are called
universal donors. Type O blood is used for emergencies when
there's no time to test a person's blood type.
People with type AB blood are called universal recipients. This
means they can get any type of blood.
If you have Rh-positive blood, you can get Rh-positive or Rh-
negative blood. But if you have Rh-negative blood, you should get
only Rh-negative blood. Rh-negative blood is used for emergencies
when there's no time to test a person's Rh type.
Blood Banks
 Blood banks collect, test, and store blood. They
carefully screen all donated blood for possible
infectious agents, such as viruses that could make you
sick. Blood bank staff also screen each blood donation to
find out whether it's A, B, AB, or O and whether it's
Rh-positive or Rh-negative. Getting a blood type that
doesn't work with your own blood type will make you
very sick. That's why blood banks are very careful when
they test the blood.
To prepare blood for a transfusion, some blood banks
remove white blood cells. This process is called white
cell or leukocyte (LU-ko-site) reduction. Although rare,
some people are allergic to white blood cells in donated
blood. Removing these cells makes allergic reactions less
likely.
 Not all transfusions use blood donated from a
stranger. If you're going to have surgery, you
may need a blood transfusion because of blood
loss during the operation. If it's surgery that
you're able to schedule months in advance, your
doctor may ask whether you would like to use
your own blood, rather than donated blood.
If you choose to use your own blood, you will
need to have blood drawn a few times prior to
the surgery. A blood bank will store your blood
for your use.
Alternatives to Blood Transfusions
Researchers are trying to find ways to make blood.
There is currently no man-made alternative to
human blood. However, researchers have
developed medicines that may help do the job of
some blood parts.
For example, some patients with kidney problems
can now take a medicine called erythropoietin that
helps their bodies make more red blood cells. This
means they may need fewer blood transfusions.
Surgeons try to reduce the amount of blood lost
during surgery so that fewer patients need blood
transfusions. Sometimes they can collect and
reuse the blood for the patient.
 Autologous Blood
(using your own blood)
Pre-operative donation - donating your own
blood before surgery. The blood bank draws
your blood and stores it until you need it
during or after surgery. This option is only
for non-emergency (elective) surgery. It has
the advantage of eliminating or minimizing the
need for someone else's blood during and
after surgery. The disadvantage is that it
requires advanced planning which may delay
surgery. Some medical conditions may prevent
the pre-operative donation of blood products.
Intra-operative autologous transfusion -
recycling your blood during surgery. Blood lost
during surgery is filtered, and put back into
your body during surgery. This can be done in
emergency and elective surgeries. It has the
advantage of eliminating or minimizing the
need for someone else's blood during surgery.
Large amounts of blood can be recycled. This
process cannot be used if cancer or infection
is present.
Post-operative autologous transfusion -
recycling your blood after surgery. Blood
lost after surgery is collected, filtered and
returned to your body. This can be done in
emergency and elective surgeries. It has the
advantage of eliminating or minimizing the
need for someone else's blood during
surgery. This process can't be used in
patients where cancer or infection is
present.
Hemodilution - donating your own blood
during surgery. Immediately before surgery,
some of your blood is taken and replaced with
IV fluids. After surgery, your blood is
filtered and returned to you. This is done
only for elective surgeries. This process
dilutes your own blood so you lose less
concentrated blood during surgery. It has
the advantage of eliminating or minimizing
the need for someone else's blood during
surgery. The disadvantage of this process is
that only a limited amount of blood can be
removed, and certain medical conditions may
prevent hemodilution.
Apheresis - donating you own platelets and
plasma. Before surgery, your platelets and
plasma, which help stop bleeding, are
withdrawn, filtered and returned to you when
you need it later. This can be done only for
elective surgeries. This process may eliminate
the need for donor platelets and plasma,
especially in high blood-loss procedures. The
disadvantage of this process is that some
medical conditions may prevent apheresis, and
in actual practice it has limited applications.
 Donor Blood
(Using someone else's blood)
All donor blood is tested for
safety making its risks very small,
but no screening program is
perfect and risks, such as
contraction of thehepatitis virus or
other infectious disease still exist.
 Volunteer blood - blood collected from the
community blood supply (blood banks). This has
the advantage of being readily available, and
can be life-saving when your own blood is not
available. The disadvantage is that there is a
risk of disease transmission, such as hepatitis
or AIDS, and allergic reactions.
Designated donor blood - blood is collected
from the donors you select. You can select
people with your own blood type who you feel
are safe donors. Like volunteer blood, there is
still a risk of disease transmission, such as
hepatitis and AIDS, and allergic reactions.
This process usually requires several days for
advanced donation. It may not necessarily be
safer than volunteer donor blood.