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Blood transfusion
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A blood transfusion means giving a person blood from a healthy donor. It is a common medical procedure: the blood goes in through an intravenous line, a thin little tube placed inside one of the person's blood vessels.
Before it starts, the donor's and recipient's blood are checked for compatibility. The antibodies, the defenses already circulating in the blood of the person who will receive it, are tested against the donor's red blood cells. The screening also looks for unexpected antibodies that could cause a reaction and that fall outside the ABO system, the system of blood groups A, B, AB and O.
Blood is usually stored in parts, like a pantry organized jar by jar. There are the red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body; the platelets, tiny fragments of cells that help blood clot; and the plasma, the liquid part. Either whole blood or just one of those components can be transfused.
In brief
A blood transfusion is a common medical procedure in which blood from a healthy donor is given through an intravenous line placed in one of the recipient's blood vessels.
Beforehand, the recipient's antibodies are tested against the donor's red blood cells for compatibility, and screening looks for unexpected non-ABO antibodies that could cause a reaction.
Blood is usually stored as components, and it is transfused whole or as red blood cells, platelets or plasma.
Blood is usually stored in parts, like a pantry organized jar by jar.
Sources (2)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of HealthTreatments for Blood Disorders, National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstitutePublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingBlood Transfusion, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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