Kate07 - thanks for asking! There are still many things that we can't screen for in blood, so when receiving someone else's blood, the body has to continue trying to heal the original injury/trauma, PLUS deal with whatever has been in the blood transfusion. Most people will have a reaction to a blood transfusion anyway, as it is essentially a foreign body, much the same as receiving an organ and having to take anti rejection meds.
In the case of severe blood loss, more often than not a blood volume expander can be used instead of a direct transfusion. The body will automatically make more blood, but sometimes we lose it too fast, and that's where the expander comes in - obviously expanding volume until our own system can catch up.
I read a study a few years ago about 2 patients who both had open heart surgery - one had a transfusion and the other refused for religious reasons. While both lived, the post-op recovery time for the patient who received the transfusion was far longer than the patient who didn't. Obviously they would both have had different lifestyles etc that may have helped the outcome, but I think it definitely shows the effect a blood transfusion can have on an already sick patient, KWIM?
While it has been a slow process, bloodless medicine is starting to be recognized for its benefits. As far as I know, it is now being taught in med schools, as opposed to the old 'give them a pint of blood just to be sure' mentality. It also promotes more care and attention on the part of the doctor and surgeon - not having the 'safety net' of a blood transfusion, they are forced to pay closer attention to what is going on, before anything becomes a major problem.
There are plenty of sites on the subject - I don't think I can post links, but you can just google bloodless medicine or bloodless surgery
EDIT: I've always thought it strange when doctors give a patient who is losing blood MORE blood - wouldn't it be more effective to find where it's leaking from? It seems like putting more water in a bucket because it has a hole in it, KWIM?
Last edited by Bumperstump Cummerbund; July 28th, 2009 at 02:41 PM.
Lady Zaidie, i would take a cold over death any day. I can remember watching my mother get blood after her hysterectomy when she was first diagnosed with cancer (she'd lost a lot during the op due to being on blood thinners for an unrelated but potentially fatal heart condition) and she got visibly better and stronger by the hour. Perhaps that's not the case for everyone, but she can't be a rarity or the practice wouldn't continue surely? Blood protocols improve constantly, and though obviously there are risks to receiving blood, there are risks to NOT recieving any too. I agree the "give em a pint" mentality is fairly pointless, especially after childbirth when we have more blood ANYWAY, but in cases when it is blood-donation or death, rather than blood donation or chlorophyll for a fortnight, i definitely think it is a risk worth taking for me.
Sunflower i'm not actually very worried about dying, but i am very concerned about leaving my daughter without a mother when she is only 3, about leaving my partner alone to fight over who raises her with my XP... I am completely confident they could cope without me, but i believe i owe it to them to try as hard as possible to stay with them. I also feel that it is a natural state of life to reject death and fight it. My mother had completely accepted that she would die, and was unafraid of death but just before she lost consciousness for the last time she rose from bed screaming for her mother and for us to help her. The "death rattle" breathing so many display before death is the combination of adrenalin and powerful electrical impulses from the dying hindbrain forcing the lungs to go on breathing even when the point of no return has passed. Even when the mind accepts death the body does not. Since i feel the only part of me i might keep some of after death is my mind, i also see the point of this life being related strongly to my body, and so i would honour the physical self's need to fight to live as long as i could.
Ooh, somehow I missed that you had replied Bx, sorry
I think I understand where you're coming from re: trying as hard as possible to stay alive. I also agree that it is natural to fight death For me, I don't think a blood transfusion is the best option, or worth the potential side effects, but that's my opinion only. Being okay with dying doesn't mean you just lay down and let it come, but it takes the fear out of death I think, because we all know its going to come. Hopefully not for quite a few years yet though!
I am not scared of dying, but if it can be prevented by a blood transfusion, i will take it bc i then have the potential to do things here that would be impossible if i was dead.
I have been a blood, and plasma, donor for many years and if i ever need it i am glad it will be there for me.
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