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Most blood transfusions are smooth and take place with ease. However, there might be some specific disadvantages. Before proceeding any further, you should know what exactly happens in blood transfusion and the potential risks of this procedure.
WHAT IS BLOOD TRANSFUSION?
Blood transfusion refers to the act of supplying you with blood through an intravenous (IV) line. This particular process is usually done to replenish the lost blood in the body due to some emergency circumstances. Blood transfusion happens with a needle being inserted into the IV line while the corresponding blood bag is allowed to supply you with blood according to your body's requirements.
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL RISKS OF HAVING A BLOOD TRANSFUSION?
Blood transfusions carry potential risks, especially when the administration of the blood is not done with proper care and discretion. With the applied standards of blood donation, there are significantly fewer chances of any potential risks or allergies. However, administering the wrong type of blood can wreak havoc on the person being donated.
Some most significant risks of having a blood transfusion are listed below accordingly.
- Viral and infectious disease transmission ( although the chances for this are particularly low)
- Allergic reactions can range from mild to highly severe. This might include anxiety, breathing troubles, and other issues as such.
- Fever (which is usually due to your body’s white blood cells reacting to the blood which is being taken in)
- Overloading of iron – Intake of a lot of blood transfusions can lead to a significant iron overload in the body.
- Lung injuries- Around 5 to 20 per cent of the people who suffer from lung injuries caused during blood transfusion are likely to have fatal results from such injuries sustained.
- Acute Immune hemolytic reaction is generally caused when the blood type intake does not match with your blood type. This is quite rare to occur. However, it is the most dangerous of all.
- Delayed hemolytic reaction: A slower version of acute immune hemolytic reaction, this can serve as a silent killer.
HOW GRAVE IS THE RISK OF RUNNING INTO AN HIV INFECTION DURING A BLOOD TRANSFUSION?
Studies suggest that around 1 in 2 million stand the risk of an HIV infection during the blood transfusion procedure. This is usually attributed to the strict rules of the organizations which lay down specific standards before the corresponding blood donation is taken from the given user. Also, the risk of any viral or bacterial infection is very low in the case of blood transfusion. Hence, one can be assured that they would not have to worry about potential HIV infection in blood transfusion.
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