Blood Transfusions - in Practice Flashcards

1
Q

What are the indications for transfusing red cells?

A
  • Severe acute anaemia
  • improve QOL in otherwise uncorrectable anaemia
  • prepare for or recover from surgery
  • Reverse damage by own red cells e.g. sickle cell
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2
Q

What are the indications for platelet transfusion?

A

HAemorrhage
Bone marrow failure
Prophylaxis for surgery
Bleeding Cardiopulm bypass

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3
Q

What are the indications for giving FFP?

A

Replace fluid in Massive HAemorrhage
DIC with bleeding (replaces clotting factors)
Prophylaxis

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4
Q

What do you need to do before giving FFP?

A

Get it out early, stored frozen so takes a while to thaw

Test the PT & aPTT

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5
Q

When do we use cryoprecipitate and what do we need to do before using it?

A

If they have a low fibrinogen

Stored frozen so give time to thaw and test fibrinogen

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6
Q

When ordering blood (non-emergency) you send 2 samples to the blood bank, what do they do with them?

A

Group & screen
Cross Match
Coomb’s Test
- Direct = Autoimmune
- Indirect = Cross matching issue

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7
Q

What do you do if you need blood immediately?

A

Ask for Type O RhD -ve red cells
Or AB plasma

If it’s urgent but not immediate you can ask for type specific and if it’s not urgent at all they will do a full cross match

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8
Q

What do you do if a patient has a massive haemorrhage?

A

Dial 2222 (universal in uk)

It’ll get you an immediate supply of 6 units red cell, 4 units ffp & 1 unit platelets

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9
Q

What are the major complications of a blod transfusion?

A

TACO - Transfusion associated circ overload
Fever
TRALI - Tranfusion associated lung injury
Acute Haemolysis
Infections
Anaphylaxis

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10
Q

What do we do if someone has a reaction to a transfusion?

A

Stop it
Check patient identity against component label

Fever - give anti-pyretic & send back to lab for testing

Urticaria - give anti-histamine & monitor for anaphylaxis

Watch out for dyspnoea, shock etc.

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11
Q

What is Haemolytic Disease of foetus & Newborn?

A

Mum with Anti-D Abs passes them on to Rhd +VE baby –> Haemolysis

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12
Q

How do we prevent and treat HDFN?

A

Give mothers Anti-D at 28wks & at delivery, this should prevent baby developing RhD

Antibody titres & doppler US –> Intrauterine transfusion

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13
Q

What is NAIT?

A

Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia

Similar to HDFN but for platelets

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14
Q

What other transfusion-type interventions can we do for other cells?

A

Leucapharesis
Bone marrow transplant
Lymphocyte infusions
Other banks e.g. milk, tendons, faecal etc
Gene therapies

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