Blood transfusion

Blood transfusion is the taking of blood or blood-based products from one individual and inserting them into the circulatory system of another. It can be considered a form of organ transplant. Blood transfusions may treat medical conditions, such as massive blood loss due to trauma, surgery, shock and where the red cell producing mechanism (or some other normal and essential component) fails (see blood diseases).

Precautions

Great care is taken to ensure that the recipient's immune system will not attack the donor blood, and also to avoid transfusing white blood cells that could initiate an immune attack on the host (graft versus host disease). Nevertheless, blood transfusion does suppress the immune system, increasing the risk of complications after surgery.

Related Topics:
Immune system - White blood cells - Graft versus host disease

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In addition to the familiar human blood type (A, B, AB and O) and Rhesus (positive or negative) classifications, other red cell antigens are known to determine compatibility, to one degree or other. These other type become increasingly important in people who receive many blood transfusions as their bodies develop increasing resistance to blood from other people.

Related Topics:
Blood type - Rhesus - Red cell antigens - Compatibility

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There is increased awareness that a number of diseases (such as AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C and others) can be passed from the donor to recipient. This has led to strict human blood transfusion standards in developed countries, such as HIV blood screening. Standards include screening for potential risk factors and health problems including determining donor haemoglobin level, and answering a set of standard oral and written questions, as well as testing donated units for these infections. The lack of such standards in places like rural China, where desperate villagers donated plasma for money and had others' red blood cells reinjected, has produced entire villages infected with AIDS.

Related Topics:
AIDS - Syphilis - Hepatitis B - Hepatitis C - HIV blood screening - Haemoglobin

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