A hemolytic transfusion reaction is a serious problem that occurs after a patient receives a transfusion of blood. The red blood cells that were given
to the patient are destroyed by the patient's own immune system.
The immune system normally can tell its own blood cells from blood cells from another person. If other blood cells enter your body, your immune
system may make antibodies again them. These antibodies will work to destroy the blood cells that the body does not recognize.
Symptoms:
Fever, chills and fever, the feeling of heat along the vein in which the blood is being transfused, pain in the lumbar region, constricting pain in the
chest, tachycardia, hypo-tension, and hemoglobinemia with subsequent hemoglo-binuria and hyperbilirubin-emia.
A "feeling of impending doom" is frequently reported by the patient as an early sign of this reaction.
In an unconscious or anesthe-tized patient: Uncontrollable bleeding due to disseminated intravascular coagulation may be the only sign of a
hemolytic transfusion reaction
CAUSE:
Human error such as mislabeled pretransfusion specimen; the transfusion of properly labeled blood to the wrong person, or clerical errors
occurring within the Blood Bank
transfused red cells react with circulating antibody in the recipient with resultant intravascular hemolysis
Most likely to occur when a group O patient is mistakenly transfused with group A, B, or AB blood. Patients receiving a major ABO- incompatible
marrow or stem cell transplant with sufficient red cell content will likely develop an acute hemolytic reaction
PHOTOS BY : CHRISTIAN AMADO RODRIGUEZ
