Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUsesProcedureCan You Refuse?ReactionsSaving LIves
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Uses
Procedure
Can You Refuse?
Reactions
Saving LIves
If you can’t make enough blood cells or you lose too much blood at once, you may need a blood transfusion. If you are going into surgery that is likely to involve blood loss, you may anticipate this. Or, you may require one unexpectedly due to an accident or an illness. In the United States, blood transfusions save millions of lives each year.
This article will discuss why people need to undergo blood transfusions, what to expect before, during, and after one, and possible complications.
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Why Blood Transfusions Happen
A blood transfusion treats specific problems. Some typical reasons you may need one include:
Components in Transfused BloodAside from a whole blood transfusion, you can receive different components of one. These includered blood cells(which carry oxygen),platelets(cells involved in clotting),plasma(the liquid part of whole blood),albumin(a type of protein), or gamma globulin (immune system proteins). Your healthcare provider can transfuse the components you need.
Components in Transfused Blood
Aside from a whole blood transfusion, you can receive different components of one. These includered blood cells(which carry oxygen),platelets(cells involved in clotting),plasma(the liquid part of whole blood),albumin(a type of protein), or gamma globulin (immune system proteins). Your healthcare provider can transfuse the components you need.
How Much Blood Is in the Human Body and How Much Can Be Lost?
Blood Transfusion Procedure
Blood transfusions may intimidate you if you’ve never undergone one. The transfusion will usually take place at your healthcare provider’s office, a clinic, or a hospital. Here’s what to expect.
Before
Before a blood transfusion, your healthcare provider will draw your blood and send it to a lab totype and match it with any blood productsto transfuse. The laboratory’s blood bank professionals will ensure they label each unit with your identification.
A healthcare provider will check your vital statistics, such as your temperature, pulse, and pressure to ensure that you are a reasonable candidate for receiving blood. If there is a reason why you aren’t, they will promptly explain why.
Autologous Blood TransfusionsWhen planning for an upcoming surgery, you may be eligible to donate your own blood to store and then transfuse back into you if necessary. This is called anautologous transfusion.
Autologous Blood Transfusions
When planning for an upcoming surgery, you may be eligible to donate your own blood to store and then transfuse back into you if necessary. This is called anautologous transfusion.
During
A healthcare provider will place an intravenous (IV) line (likely in your arm) to enable you to receive the donated blood. You will either sit for this or lie down. They will ensure your identification matches the identification on the transfused blood products.
The blood for the transfusion will drip from a bag through the IV line into your vein. Completing this process can take up to four hours.
After
When you’ve received all the blood you need, your healthcare provider will remove the IV line and check your blood pressure and other vital signs. Assuming you’re only receiving a blood transfusion, you should be able to go home shortly afterward and resume your normal activities.
Remember that even if all your levels meet expectations, you may experience some side effects. For example, for a few days, your arm may feel sore in the area where the IV was.
To help ensure that you are reaping the benefits of the transfusion, your healthcare provider may order blood tests in the days after the transfusion.
Depending on why you underwent the transfusion, you should begin to feel the positive effects within the first 24 hours.
Can You Refuse a Blood Transfusion?
An adult can opt against having a blood transfusion even if it means they may ultimately die.
But if the patient is still a minor, a healthcare provider can insist on doing the transfusion if the minor’s refusal to undergo the transfusion will cause severe injury or death.
Risks and Complications
Though blood transfusions rarely present any issues, every once in a while, one may lead to complications, such as:
Likelihood of Complications
Post-Transfusion Reactions
In most instances, any reaction to a blood transfusion will occur right away. But sometimes, such adverse reactions may happen down the line.
A delayed hemolytic reaction may arise within eight days of the transfusion, but this can take place up to two weeks later. Here, the person develops antibodies to the transfused red cells. These antibodies may be too weak for initial detection to pick up. Usually, this can occur in those who are pregnant or who previously underwent a transfusion.
If you have such a reaction, it’s particularly important to ensure that going forward, any transfused blood does not contain the same antigen (a compound in blood cells that can trigger an immune reaction) that you reacted to initially.
Transfusion-associatedgraft-versus-host diseaseis a very rare complication that can occur months after transfusion. In this case, white blood cells in the transfused blood (called T-cells) multiply and attack the recipient’s tissues.
The Truth About HIV Blood TransmissionAll blood donations in the United States undergo thorough screening and testing forHIV. The American Red Cross estimates there is a 1 in 2 million chance that a unit of donated blood contains HIV and is capable of transmitting it to a recipient.Though this is still technically a possibility, it almost never occurs.
The Truth About HIV Blood Transmission
All blood donations in the United States undergo thorough screening and testing forHIV. The American Red Cross estimates there is a 1 in 2 million chance that a unit of donated blood contains HIV and is capable of transmitting it to a recipient.Though this is still technically a possibility, it almost never occurs.
Blood Transfusions Can Save Lives
Transfusions save lives round the clock. In the United States, a person needs blood or platelets every 2 seconds. Such transfusions can help save the lives of a variety of individuals, including;
Understanding Blood Transfusion as a Treatment for Anemia
Summary
Anyone may need a blood transfusion, sometimes without warning. Having one after an accident, illness, or surgical procedure can save your life. If you are a candidate for a transfusion, the procedure itself usually takes a maximum of four hours, and you may begin to feel better within a day or so.
Afterward, you may have little more than a sore arm. In some cases, there you may experience side effects such as fever, infection, or an allergic reaction. Contact a healthcare provider immediately with any concerning symptoms.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.Every cancer. Every life.NHS Inform.Blood transfusion.American Red Cross.Types of blood transfusions.NHS.Advice for patients following a blood transfusion.UConn Health.Clinical policy: refusal of blood transfusion and/or blood products.American Red Cross.Risks & complications.Noor NHM, Joibe KF, Hasan MN.Prevalence of near-miss events of transfusion practice and its associated factors amongst house officers in a teaching hospital.Oman Med J. 2021;36(2):e249. doi:10.5001/omj.2021.55Perez-Viloria ME, Lopez K, Malik F, Yatham P, Lopez O, Oh KS, Alghamdi S, Garcia G.Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) in postoperative anesthesia care unit (PACU) after one unit of platelets: a case report.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29274. doi:10.7759/cureus.29274Harvey AR, Basavaraju SV, Chung KW, Kuehnert MJ.Transfusion-related adverse reactions reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network Hemovigilance Module, United States, 2010 to 2012.Transfusion. 2015;55(4):709-718. doi:10.1111/trf.12918Omer SA, Alaesh JS, Algadeeb KB.Delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction in a patient with sickle cell disease: case report.Int Med Case Rep J. 2020;13:307-311. doi:10.2147/IMCRJ.S257036Manduzio P.Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease: a concise review.Hematol Rep. 2018;10(4):7724. doi:10.4081/hr.2018.7724American Red Cross.Importance of the blood supply.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.Every cancer. Every life.NHS Inform.Blood transfusion.American Red Cross.Types of blood transfusions.NHS.Advice for patients following a blood transfusion.UConn Health.Clinical policy: refusal of blood transfusion and/or blood products.American Red Cross.Risks & complications.Noor NHM, Joibe KF, Hasan MN.Prevalence of near-miss events of transfusion practice and its associated factors amongst house officers in a teaching hospital.Oman Med J. 2021;36(2):e249. doi:10.5001/omj.2021.55Perez-Viloria ME, Lopez K, Malik F, Yatham P, Lopez O, Oh KS, Alghamdi S, Garcia G.Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) in postoperative anesthesia care unit (PACU) after one unit of platelets: a case report.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29274. doi:10.7759/cureus.29274Harvey AR, Basavaraju SV, Chung KW, Kuehnert MJ.Transfusion-related adverse reactions reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network Hemovigilance Module, United States, 2010 to 2012.Transfusion. 2015;55(4):709-718. doi:10.1111/trf.12918Omer SA, Alaesh JS, Algadeeb KB.Delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction in a patient with sickle cell disease: case report.Int Med Case Rep J. 2020;13:307-311. doi:10.2147/IMCRJ.S257036Manduzio P.Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease: a concise review.Hematol Rep. 2018;10(4):7724. doi:10.4081/hr.2018.7724American Red Cross.Importance of the blood supply.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Cancer Society.Every cancer. Every life.NHS Inform.Blood transfusion.American Red Cross.Types of blood transfusions.NHS.Advice for patients following a blood transfusion.UConn Health.Clinical policy: refusal of blood transfusion and/or blood products.American Red Cross.Risks & complications.Noor NHM, Joibe KF, Hasan MN.Prevalence of near-miss events of transfusion practice and its associated factors amongst house officers in a teaching hospital.Oman Med J. 2021;36(2):e249. doi:10.5001/omj.2021.55Perez-Viloria ME, Lopez K, Malik F, Yatham P, Lopez O, Oh KS, Alghamdi S, Garcia G.Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) in postoperative anesthesia care unit (PACU) after one unit of platelets: a case report.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29274. doi:10.7759/cureus.29274Harvey AR, Basavaraju SV, Chung KW, Kuehnert MJ.Transfusion-related adverse reactions reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network Hemovigilance Module, United States, 2010 to 2012.Transfusion. 2015;55(4):709-718. doi:10.1111/trf.12918Omer SA, Alaesh JS, Algadeeb KB.Delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction in a patient with sickle cell disease: case report.Int Med Case Rep J. 2020;13:307-311. doi:10.2147/IMCRJ.S257036Manduzio P.Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease: a concise review.Hematol Rep. 2018;10(4):7724. doi:10.4081/hr.2018.7724American Red Cross.Importance of the blood supply.
American Cancer Society.Every cancer. Every life.
NHS Inform.Blood transfusion.
American Red Cross.Types of blood transfusions.
NHS.Advice for patients following a blood transfusion.
UConn Health.Clinical policy: refusal of blood transfusion and/or blood products.
American Red Cross.Risks & complications.
Noor NHM, Joibe KF, Hasan MN.Prevalence of near-miss events of transfusion practice and its associated factors amongst house officers in a teaching hospital.Oman Med J. 2021;36(2):e249. doi:10.5001/omj.2021.55
Perez-Viloria ME, Lopez K, Malik F, Yatham P, Lopez O, Oh KS, Alghamdi S, Garcia G.Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) in postoperative anesthesia care unit (PACU) after one unit of platelets: a case report.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29274. doi:10.7759/cureus.29274
Harvey AR, Basavaraju SV, Chung KW, Kuehnert MJ.Transfusion-related adverse reactions reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network Hemovigilance Module, United States, 2010 to 2012.Transfusion. 2015;55(4):709-718. doi:10.1111/trf.12918
Omer SA, Alaesh JS, Algadeeb KB.Delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction in a patient with sickle cell disease: case report.Int Med Case Rep J. 2020;13:307-311. doi:10.2147/IMCRJ.S257036
Manduzio P.Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease: a concise review.Hematol Rep. 2018;10(4):7724. doi:10.4081/hr.2018.7724
American Red Cross.Importance of the blood supply.
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