3 must ask blood transfusion questions

Who needs a blood transfusion?

1. After a major accident, a patient needs blood in case of blood loss
2. Every major surgery requires additional blood
3. The average open heart surgery requires about 6 units of blood
4. Patient suffering a miscarriage or childbirth may need a large amount of blood for saving her life and also the child's.
5. Patients with blood diseases like severe Anemia especially Aplastic Anemia, Leukemia (blood cancer), Hemophilia (bleeding disorder), and Thalassemia etc. require repeated blood transfusions
6. Situations like poisoning, drug reactions, shock, burns, blood transfusion is required

Is the collected blood tested?

It is mandatory for all the collected blood to be tested for AIDS, VDRL, jaundice (HBsAg, HCV), malaria etc.

In case of mismatched blood, what happens to patients?

The following symptoms may occur after only a few ml. of mismatched having entered the patient's body:

1. Complains of shivering, restlessness, nausea, and vomiting. There may be pre-cardial and lumbar pain.
2. Cold, clammy skin with cyanosis.
3. Temperature increases to 38 to 40 degree C. Pulse rate, respiratory rate increases.
4. Blood pressure falls and patient enters a state of shock.
5. Urine turns red, urine becomes scanty or the urinary output is reduced and total output of urine becomes 200 ml. a day
6. Jaundice may appear after a few hours and in some cases anuria persists and uremia develops leading to death.