Frequently Asked Questions - Blood Transfusion

The following symptoms may occur after only a few ml. of blood have been given:

• Patient complains of shivering, restlessness, nausea, and vomiting. There is precardial and lumbar pain.
• Cold, clammy skin with cyanosis.
• Pulse rate increases, respiratory rate increases. Temperature increases to 38 to 40 deg C. [101 to 105 F].
• Blood pressure falls and patient passes into a state of shock.
• Haemoglobinaemia, haemoglobinurea (urine turns red); oliguria (urine becomes scanty or the urinary output is reduced) and anuria (total output of urine becomes 200 ml. a day)
• Jaundice appears after a few hours and in some cases anuria persists and uremia develops. This may lead to death

There are many situations in which patients need blood to stay alive:
• A patient needs blood after a major accident in which there is loss of blood.
• No major surgery is performed without blood as there is bound to be blood loss.
• On an average, for every open heart surgery about 6 units of blood is required.
• In miscarriage or childbirth, cases the patient may need large amount of blood to be transfused for saving her life and also the child's.
• For patients with blood diseases like severe Anaemias especially Aplastic Anaemias, Leucaemias (blood cancer), Haemophilia (bleeding disorder), Thalassemia etc. repeated blood transfusions are the only solution.
• In many other situations like poisoning, drug reactions, shock, burns, blood transfusion is the only way to save precious human life.