Blood patients told to double-check identity before treatment

[Northerner]

Patients should double-check that medical staff have got the right person before they willingly receive blood, says a new campaign.

NHS Blood and Transplant says although rare, errors do happen, and most are due to mistaken identity.

In 2012, out of three million blood transfusions in England and Wales there were nearly 250 incidents where the wrong blood was given.

The Department of Health says mistakes such as these should never happen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19887090

 

[trophywench]

Surely the majority of transfusions are given when the patient isn't in any state to be X-examining staff??

Only person close to me that has had one to my knowledge was my ex husband who was given one after a back operation which took a lot longer than they thought it would, and that was set up in theatre before they'd finished in there. And he remembers nothing of it to this day, and he wouldn't have even known it had occurred if they hadn't told him.

Mind you, I know my blood group anyway so if I was compus mentis and even if I was expecting it, I'd ask em that anyway, see if they'd got it right, if not I'd know it hadn't been cross matched properly!

 

[Copepod]

Whole blood is typically given to people not in a fit state to check anything, due to hypovolaemic shock (lack of circulating blood volume). However, many transfusions are of blood parts eg plasma, platelets, red blood cells etc, often given regularly to keep long term / chronic conditions at bay.

Knowing your blood group is good, but don't panic if you're not O Rh-ve and given that, as it's universal donor blood that can be given to anyone. If you're AB +ve, you can receive any blood group. Of course, there are more detailed classifications than ABO Rh groups.

 

[trophywench]

LOL - being AB +ve, I knew that !

Sister is O+ so we always joked, when we both gave blood, that I'd just have mine straight off her and cut out the middle man!