Blood Bank I Flashcards
Transfusion Medicine is a term that encompasses what types of medical components?
- blood donation
- component preparation
- serology & infectious disease testing
- transfusion therapy
List the general steps that are part of routine pretransfusion testing.
- Identification on blood & paperwork match
- ABO & Rh(D) typing of recipient & screening of the serum
- If the screen in positive, perform an antibody identification test
- Crossmatch donor blood cells with recipients’s serum (final check)
What type of antigens are ABO?
carbohydrate
Genes for blood type dictate whether an A and or B antigen should be added to what precursor?
H antigen
How do people develop ABO antibodies?
naturally occurring IgM antibodies that do not require previous exposure
usually present by 6 months of age
What aspect of the ABO antibodies make it potentially dangerous to combine blood types?
IgM antibodies fix complement & may cause intravascular hemolysis
How is it possible for a mother to give birth to a child with a different blood type?
IgM antibodies do not cross the placenta, so they do not cause hemolytic disease of the fetus & newborn
What are the main antigens of the Rh system?
D (Rh +), C, c, E, e
What type of antibodies are developed in response to Rh antigens? What is the significance of this?
IgG
may cause delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions
hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (b/c can cross the placenta)
IgG antibodies cause what type of hemolysis?
What about IgM?
IgG : extravascular hemolysis (not efficient at fixing complement)
IgM : intravascular hemolysis (better at fixing compliment)
What is hemolytic disease of the fetus & newborn? (HDFN)
have Rh (-) mother
If first baby is Rh (+) - baby is protected because mother has not been exposed to Rh antigen & therefore has not made antibodies against it
At parturition, there will be intermingling of mother & baby RBC, and mom will start forming antibodies
If mom get pregnant again with a RH(+) baby, her pre-formed IgG antibodies can cross the placenta & cause serious damage to the fetus
What is the most severe manifestation fo HDFN?
Hydrops Fetalis
accumulatio
What is Hydrops Fetalis
Causes?
accumulation of clear, watery fluid in the tissue or cavities of the body of the fetus
Causes
- immune mechanisms:
- blood group incompatibilities
- non-immune mechanisms:
- some infections,
- fetal cardiac disease,
- other structural abnormalities
Describe the pathophysiology behind immune causes of Hydrops Fetalis
IgG antibodies cross the placenta & coat the fetal RBC
those fetal RBC are then picked up and destroyed in the fetal liver/spleen
liver & spleen can become enlarged
can go into liver failure & it stops making enough proteins, developing massive ascites
fetuses can also have nucleated (immature) RBC in the peripheral blood
Is hemolytic disease of the fetus & newborn more likely to be caused by Rh incompatibility or ABO incompatability?
ABO – if mother has ever been exposed to one of these antigens, she will also develop IgG antibodies against them, which are able to cross the placenta
What co-morbid conditions are commonly seen in infants born with HDFN?
Jaundice
Kernicterus