Blood Safety and Matching

Overview

• Blood banking has improved safety for both donors and recipients.
• A reliable source of blood is crucial for effective blood transfusions.
• Blood donations are voluntary and blood banks aim to make the process safe and pleasant.

Donation Procedure and Donor Safety

• Screening Process:
  • Determines donor health and safety for donation.
  • Involves questions about health, travel history, and exposure to diseases (HIV, malaria, hepatitis).
  • A physical exam includes checking blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and signs of blood-transmitted diseases.
  • Laboratory tests ensure donors are not anemic.
• Donation Process:
  • Approximately one pint of blood is collected.
  • Replacement fluids are produced within 24 hours, red blood cells in 4-6 weeks.
  • Minimum 8 weeks required between whole blood donations.
• Complications:
  • Fainting and minor bruising at the needle site are the most common.
  • Fainting can be minimized by resting, eating, and drinking fluids post-donation.

Recipient Safety

• Risks:
  • Incompatibility reactions, allergic reactions, infections.
  • Risks reduced through standard procedures.

Blood Type Matching

• Antigens and Antibodies:
  • Red cells have antigens; immune system makes antibodies against foreign antigens.
  • 35 major antigen groups; ABO and RhD are critical for matching.
  • Blood types: A, B, AB, O, with positive or negative RhD.
• Matching Donor and Recipient:
  • A recipient with a certain blood type will have specific compatible donor types.
  • Type O negative is universal donor for red cells.
  • Type AB is universal plasma donor.
  • Cross-matching tests for compatibility when exact match isn’t available.

Allergic and Other Reactions

• Delayed Hemolytic Reactions:
  • Occur due to antibodies against minor antigens, causing mild symptoms like fever or hives.
• Rare Reactions:
  • Transfusion-associated acute lung injury from large amounts of foreign chemicals.

Infection Risks

• Modern Testing:
  • Significantly reduces risk of infections (HIV, hepatitis B and C).
  • Bacterial infections still occur rarely.
  • New threats (e.g., Babesiosis, Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease) are monitored.

Banking Your Own Blood

• Auto-Transfusion:
  • Donating own blood for future surgery—safest form of transfusion.
  • Blood drawn 3-5 weeks prior and reserved for personal use only.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • Donor must not be anemic, weigh over 65 lbs, and be free of certain medical conditions.
  • Excludes those with unstable angina, recent stroke or heart attack, severe hypertension.

Contact Information

• American Society of Hematology, Washington, DC
• Contact: Phone, Toll-Free, Fax
• Social media and support resources available.