In daily life, people always pursue comprehensive development, such as food, health products, etc. The more comprehensive their nutritional content is, the more favored they are by the market. But not everything is better with more comprehensive content, such as blood products, whole blood is not an ideal blood product. Recently, a family member came to our department window for consultation and requested to have their hospitalized relative receive a whole blood transfusion. After our explanation, the family eventually accepted our suggestion and switched to component blood transfusion. Since whole blood contains "comprehensive" components, why not recommend infusion now?
What is whole blood? Whole blood refers to the mixture formed by collecting blood from the human body into a blood collection bag, which includes all components of blood cells and plasma. The preservation of blood is conditional. However, since all preservation solutions are designed for red blood cells, whole blood preservation generally refers to red blood cell preservation. The other components in whole blood, such as granulocytes, platelets, coagulation factors such as factor V and factor VIII, have basically lost their activity, so the effective components of stored whole blood are mainly red blood cells, followed by plasma proteins.
The hazards of whole blood transfusion
Direct transfusion of whole blood may bring a series of potential risks. Due to the presence of white blood cell fragments, denatured plasma proteins, etc., it increases the probability of transfusion reactions, such as non hemolytic fever reactions, allergic reactions, etc., and may even spread diseases or trigger abnormal immune system reactions in some cases.
How should patients choose blood products when they need a blood transfusion? For the health and safety of patients, modern medicine advocates for component blood transfusion. Simply put, it means' filling in what is missing '. By separating different components in whole blood, such as red blood cell suspension, platelet suspension, fresh frozen plasma, etc., it is possible to more accurately meet the actual needs of patients, reduce the risk of transfusion adverse reactions, avoid the waste of blood resources, and improve treatment effectiveness.