Blood transfusion – treatment, effect and risks

Blood transfusion

Blood transfusion is the transfer of someone else’s blood to a patient. It is carried out to compensate for life-threatening blood loss or in the event of imminent difficulties due to blood loss.

What is a blood transfusion?

A blood transfusion is the transfer of blood from a donor to a recipient. Clubs that are specifically responsible for donating blood deal with it, pass on donations to hospitals and offer donors a free determination of their blood group in return.

A blood transfusion is indicated if the patient has lost a lot of blood or suffers from a chronic haematopoietic disorder. The blood transfusion does not always have to consist of donor blood, it can also be an autologous blood donation. However, this must be prepared, for example before an operation, since the patient cannot, of course, donate their own blood if they need it.

The transfusion of whole blood used to be common, it was blood transfusions with all blood components. Today, only blood components such as erythrocytes that are actually required to treat the indication are usually transfused.

Application and function

The two roughly defined areas of application for blood transfusions are injuries resulting in blood loss and chronic diseases in the sense of blood formation disorders. Accidents, births, but also planned operations can make a blood transfusion necessary – the sooner this can be foreseen, the better, because if the blood loss is planned and occurs consciously, an autologous blood donation is an option. Complications are almost impossible here.In the case of chronic blood formation diseases, patients are unable to form sufficient blood or individual blood components over a long period of time. In the case of anemia , the cause of which cannot be treated so quickly because it tends to occur as a side effect of medication, regular blood transfusions of individual blood components are an option for the patient to alleviate the symptoms of the anemia.

methods and procedures

Nowadays, only the right blood group is transfused, and whole blood is only given in exceptional cases. The blood component that is lacking or that is most likely to treat the patient’s symptoms is considered. Exceptions to this are in acute emergencies.

A patient with blood group AB can also receive a blood transfusion of group A, B and 0 in addition to his or her own blood group. However, since this makes an immune reaction of the patient more likely, this is avoided if possible.

The blood transfusion is carried out either through an already placed catheter or with the help of a hollow needle inserted into the vein especially for this purpose. It usually only takes a few minutes, depending on the transfused blood volume.

What does the patient have to consider?

Before a blood transfusion, if possible, the blood group of the patient is compared with the blood group of the donor blood, if it is not autologous blood. This is done using the so-called bedside test, which is carried out to be on the safe side before the blood transfusion is started.

Unless otherwise prescribed by the doctor, the patient no longer needs to take any precautions. A blood transfusion is usually performed in the hospital, so the patient is under observation during and after. This should be guaranteed in any case if there is a reaction to the donor blood and intervention is required.

The treating doctor will inform the patient about individual risks and aspects after the blood transfusion so that he knows how he should behave depending on his state of health.

process and implementation

When a blood donation is given, the blood group properties of the blood are immediately checked and noted. If it is autologous blood, this is not necessary and the blood can be stored immediately after the donation. The patient either gets a catheter especially for the blood donation or already has one. If necessary, a blood sample is taken before the blood transfusion to determine the current blood count.

The blood is then transfused through the catheter, which is usually not painful for the patient. He will then remain under medical supervision for observation as needed. Another blood sample may be taken from the patient as a follow-up to provide assurance that the blood transfusion has finally treated the underlying problem.

Self-service or health insurance – who bears the costs?

Since a blood transfusion is either an emergency treatment, a life-saving measure or necessary treatment for an underlying disease, blood transfusions are covered by health insurance.

There are now some alternatives to blood transfusions that may be considered in individual cases, but are not always covered by health insurance. This includes, for example, concentrated iron for anemia. However, if a blood transfusion is indicated, the health insurance companies will cover the costs, both when receiving a blood donation and when transfusing your own blood.

Risks, dangers and complications

In a blood transfusion, organic material is transferred from one person to another – and that poses risks. Nowadays, blood group compatibility is very strictly observed, so that incompatibilities with the donor blood can practically no longer occur.

If ABO-incompatible blood were transfused, there would be an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction: the blood would clot, which would lead to the death of the patient. Despite all caution, allergic reactions, transfusion-related purpura, pulmonary insufficiency and subsequent pulmonary failure, and graft-versus-host disease can occur.

In the latter reaction, the healthy leukocytes in the donor blood attack the recipient’s cells, and immunocompromised patients are particularly susceptible to this reaction. Therefore, blood transfusions are now checked for their leukocyte count to avoid the reaction.As organic material, blood also harbors the risk of co-transmitting unwanted components, including bacteria , viruses , and rarely protozoa or prions from the donor. Thanks to very careful selection of donors and test procedures with the donated blood, infections via blood transfusions are almost impossible today; they are only likely in countries with less strict security measures.

Finally, blood transfusions carry the risk of patient hypothermia, volume overload with large transfusions, or iron overload with regular blood transfusions.

Dorothy Farrar

Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *