Blood transfusion

Question 1

What blood antibodies do people produce?

Answer 1

IgM antibodies to the antigens they dont have have on their own RBCs

Question 2

What blood can O type blood receive?

Answer 2

O type only

Have no antigens on RBCs

Question 3

What blood can A type blood receive

Answer 3

A type and O type

Question 4

What blood can B type blood receive?

Answer 4

B type and O type

Question 5

What blood can AB type receive?

Answer 5

Any blood

Question 6

What is Rhesus positive and negative?

Answer 6

Rhesus positive - having the D antigen on the surface of RBCs
Rhesus negative - produce anti-D antibodies AFTER being exposed to the rhesus D antigen

Question 7

What are the problems is a rhesus negative patient has already been exposed to rhesus D?

Answer 7

They cannot receive rhesus positive blood for a transfusion which would cause a delayed haemolytic transfusion reaction

Question 8

What issues will a mother being rhesus negative potentially cause?

Answer 8

If baby is rhesus positive, IgG anti-D antibodies will cross placenta and hemolyze the foetus’ RBCs
Can cause death of child or brain damage from high bilirubin levels

Question 9

What blood would be given in an emergency when the patients blood type is unknown?

Answer 9

O negative

Question 10

How to test for transfusion compatibility?

Answer 10

1. Test for ABO and RhD group of patient( using anit-A, anti-B, anti-D reagents respectively)
2. Find donor of appropriate ABO and RhD group
3. Do antibody screen to see if the patient has any weird clinically important antibodies
4. Cross-match a sample from the donor and receiver: mix the patient’s serum with the donor’s antibodies, the cells shouldn’t clump/agglutinate

Question 11

What is prion disease?

Answer 11

Instead of bacteria/viruses spreading, it is proteins called prions and are found in the membrane of lymphocytes and platelets

Question 12

What is component therapy?

Answer 12

When a patient is only given the component of blood that they require, this is done by the blood being separated into its different parts, blood donations are used more effectively this way
Blood is centrifuged to separate components

Question 13

What is fresh frozen plasma and when is it used?

Answer 13

Plasma freshly frozen so has to be used within 30 minutes to prevent the degeneration of the clotting factors
Has to be of same blood group as patient
Given to patients if clotting needs to be encouraged
Given to reverse effects of warfarin urgently

Question 14

What is cryoprecipitate and when is it used?

Answer 14

Made by taking FFP and thawing it at 4-8 degrees Celsius overnight
Is rich in fibrinogen and factor 8
Is useful if patient has had massive bleed and has v low fibrinogen
Also useful in inherited hypofibrinogenaemia (rare)