Condition Lookup
Category:
Transfusion Medicine
Number of Conditions: 4
Alloimmunization From Transfusions
Specialty: Hematology
Category: Transfusion Medicine
Symptoms:
fever; chills; anemia; jaundice; delayed hemolytic reactions
Root Cause:
Formation of antibodies against non-self antigens on transfused red blood cells, platelets, or plasma proteins due to immune incompatibility.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Blood group typing, antibody screening (indirect antiglobulin test), direct antiglobulin test (DAT), and crossmatching of donor blood.
Treatment:
Use of antigen-matched or phenotype-matched blood products; immunosuppressive therapies in severe cases.
Medications:
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (e.g., epoetin alfa) to reduce the need for transfusions; corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone ) to manage immune responses; intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in specific cases.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Occurs in approximately 1-2% of all transfusion recipients but higher in patients with repeated transfusions, such as those with sickle cell disease or thalassemia.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Multiple transfusions, non-identical blood group antigens, pregnancy, or a history of transplantation.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Generally good with appropriate management, but complications can arise in cases of severe immune responses.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Hemolytic reactions, increased difficulty in finding compatible blood for future transfusions, organ dysfunction due to severe hemolysis.
Blood Substitutes
Specialty: Hematology
Category: Transfusion Medicine
Symptoms:
pallor; shortness of breath; fatigue; dizziness; low blood pressure (in cases of blood loss)
Root Cause:
The need for alternative oxygen-carrying or volume-expanding solutions due to insufficient or unavailable donor blood.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Assessment of hemoglobin levels, oxygen-carrying capacity, and hemodynamic stability.
Treatment:
Administration of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) or perfluorocarbon emulsions (PFCs) to maintain oxygen delivery and plasma expanders for volume replacement.
Medications:
Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (e.g., Hemopure, PolyHeme), perfluorocarbon-based substitutes (e.g., Oxygent), crystalloids or colloids for volume replacement.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Experimental use; not widely available as routine clinical practice due to safety concerns and limited indications.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Situations of massive blood loss, rare blood types, or transfusion refusal (e.g., religious reasons).
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Promising for specific clinical scenarios but limited by side effects and regulatory approval.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Hypertension, renal toxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation associated with synthetic substitutes.
Transfusion Reactions
Specialty: Hematology
Category: Transfusion Medicine
Symptoms:
fever; chills; rash; shortness of breath; hypotension; dark urine; back pain
Root Cause:
Adverse reactions caused by incompatibility, contamination, or immune response to transfused blood products.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical observation of symptoms during or after transfusion; direct antiglobulin test (DAT), blood culture (if bacterial contamination is suspected), and laboratory markers of hemolysis (e.g., LDH, bilirubin, and haptoglobin levels).
Treatment:
Immediate discontinuation of the transfusion, supportive care (e.g., fluids, oxygen), antihistamines for mild reactions, corticosteroids for severe allergic responses, and antibiotics if infection is suspected.
Medications:
Antihistamines (e.g., diphenhydramine ), corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone ), epinephrine for anaphylaxis, and antibiotics for bacterial contamination.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Occurs in approximately 1-2% of transfusions; severity ranges from mild allergic reactions to severe hemolytic reactions.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Non-matching blood types, immune disorders, or pre-existing antibodies.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Mild reactions resolve with appropriate treatment; severe reactions can be life-threatening but are preventable with careful crossmatching and screening.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Hemolysis, organ failure, sepsis, anaphylaxis, or death in severe cases.
Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases
Specialty: Hematology
Category: Transfusion Medicine
Symptoms:
fever; fatigue; jaundice; rash; enlarged lymph nodes; abnormal liver function tests
Root Cause:
Transmission of infectious agents (e.g., viruses, bacteria, or parasites) through contaminated blood products.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Laboratory testing for specific pathogens (e.g., serological tests, PCR), patient history of transfusion, and clinical signs of infection.
Treatment:
Depends on the specific pathogen; antiviral medications for viral infections (e.g., hepatitis B or HIV), antibiotics for bacterial infections, and antiparasitic drugs for parasitic infections.
Medications:
Antivirals (e.g., tenofovir for hepatitis B, antiretroviral therapy for HIV), antibiotics (e.g., ceftriaxone for bacterial infections), and antiparasitic drugs (e.g., chloroquine for malaria).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare in developed countries due to stringent screening, but higher in regions with less stringent blood safety measures.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Receiving unscreened or inadequately tested blood products, transfusions in areas with high endemic rates of infections.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Varies depending on the disease; prompt diagnosis and treatment generally improve outcomes.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Chronic infections, organ damage, or death if untreated.