Blood Transfusion: Benefits & Risks

Paramedic staff wearing blue gloves collecting patient’s blood

If you’re scheduled to receive a blood transfusion, whether as part of a surgical procedure or a medical treatment plan, you should know the benefits and potential risks of a blood transfusion.

A blood transfusion is a standard procedure that helps you replace lost blood or get the components your body needs. Here’s a brief rundown of the risks and benefits of a blood transfusion.

Benefits of Blood Transfusion

Blood transfusions can assist in replacing blood lost as a result of surgery or trauma. If a disease hinders your body from properly producing blood or maybe some of its components, blood transfusion can treat or avoid a low platelet count. You may get a blood transfusion:

If you have anemia or an iron deficiency;
If you have lost blood during an injury;
If you’re getting a surgery like orthopedic implants, bone marrow, and organ transplants as blood transfusion is important for preventing unexpected complications;
Many people with thalassemia also require frequent blood transfusions;
A platelet transfusion is used to replace platelets, an important component of blood, in people with infections caused by platelet-damaging antibodies, cancer, or other conditions that increase their risk of bleeding;
A plasma transfusion is a common treatment used to replace the proteins in your blood that help it clot. It is not the same as a whole blood transfusion. The new proteins help fight excessive bleeding by clot formation when needed, especially for patients suffering from liver disease.

Risks of Blood Transfusion

Over the past decade, RBC transfusions have been associated with a variety of risks. These risks can be divided into two general categories: infectious and immunologic/immunosuppressant.

01. Spread of Infectious Diseases

Infection is a rare but serious risk. As with any procedure, a risk with blood transfusion is that viruses or other disease-causing organisms may be present in donated blood. The infectious risks include diseases caused by blood-transmitted bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections.

02. Risk of Immunologic Illness

With the advancements in healthcare, the risks of transfusion-related acute adverse events continue to be significantly reduced. These immune-related risks include errors in typing and cross-matching like:

Alloantibody formation by anti-HLA antibodies that may have occurred during the original donation;
Antiglobulin sensitization caused by blood components present in stored components longer than intended

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