Blood transfusion

Illustration showing a blood transfusion.

Concentrate of Erythrocytes ("red blood cells"). This is what most people mean when they speak about blood transfusion

Blood transfusion is a medical term. It means a procedure used to transfer blood (or some products based on blood) from the circulatory system of one human to that of another human.

Uses

Blood transfusions can save the life of a person, if that person has lost a lot of blood. A person can lose blood from an injury, a trauma or from a medical operation. Blood transfusions can also be applied as a treatment to certain diseases of the blood (like Anaemia, for example).

Blood is not collected and used immediately. Instead it is kept until it is needed. The storage area is informally called a blood bank. By adding anti-coagulant to keep the blood from clotting and refrigerating the blood, it is possible to store it for a few days. Information about transfusion and donation is available at the National Institutes of Health website [1].

Problems

Not all people are able to donate blood to all other people. Testing for blood types usually prevents any bad reaction to a blood transfusion. However, there are special problems for anyone with rare blood groups. It is very important, in order to avoid any complications during a blood transfusion, to detect individuals with rare blood types. The usual tests for ABO blood group system would show them as group O. It may not be possible to give a blood transfusion at all unless the repository has supply of blood which will not cause a reaction.

Blood Transfusion Media

The patient receives a blood transfusion through the cannula
Banked blood during the blood transfusion process
As the person receives their blood transfusion, the bag slowly empties, leaving behind blood that has clotted before it could be administered.
A bag containing one unit of fresh frozen plasma
Glass used in an antiquated method of blood transfusion.
Illustration of labeled blood bag
Interpretation of antibody panel to detect patient antibodies towards the most relevant human blood group systems.
Richard Lower pioneered the first blood transfusion from animal to human in 1665 at the Royal Society.
James Blundell successfully transfused human blood in 1818.

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