What happens when the wrong blood type is transfused?

This is an automatically translated article.

In the human body, each blood group has its own distinct characteristics, and if the wrong blood type is transfused, it will cause serious complications, even death.

1. Learn about antigens, antibodies

Based on the specific antigens on red blood cells, human blood is divided into several groups. According to the statistics of scientists, up to now, more than 30 different blood group systems have been discovered, in which, ABO and Rh (D) blood group systems play a very important role due to their immunogenicity. strong translation.
When the recipient's body receives a blood transfusion from a different group, it can destroy the blood and cause harm to the body, so before conducting a blood transfusion, it is necessary to classify the blood type and appropriate blood transfusion according to safety principles. Transfusion immunity, absolutely do not transfuse blood with antigens corresponding to antibodies present in blood recipients.
Antigen in general is any substance that the immune system in the body can respond to, an antigen molecule will usually consist of 2 parts: One part is protein in nature, has a weight relatively large molecules and are essential for antibody production. The remainder has a smaller molecular weight and can be of a glucose or lipid nature, called hapten, which is specific for the antibody and can bind to the antibody but is not resistant. Antibodies are important molecules produced by the body's immune system that help the body defend against foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Anti-erythrocyte antibodies are essentially immunoglobulins present in plasma, belonging to groups of IgG, IgM or less commonly IgA.

2. How will the body be affected if the wrong blood type is transfused?

According to experts, it will be very bad if the recipient's body is transfused with the wrong blood type, at this time, an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction can occur in the recipient about 24 hours after receiving the blood or may occur during blood transfusion.
The patient is the one who will feel these changes most clearly, the body may have symptoms such as: Heat at the blood transfusion site, fever, chills, pain in the back and sides... Transfusion The wrong blood type will cause reactions related to most endothelium, the red blood cells of the transfused blood will be destroyed by the recipient's antibodies right in the blood vessel and at the same time can reactions occur simultaneously, causing shock and causing the patient to die quickly.
Accidents caused by blood transfusions of different groups (whether full or partial transfusion) can cause fast or slow reactions, even endanger the patient's life. Therefore, before conducting blood transfusion, it is necessary to ensure the principles and strictly follow the indications for blood transfusion when necessary. Patients with complications due to blood transfusions from other groups need prompt resuscitation to maintain hemodynamics and rapidly eliminate acidosis, stimulate diuresis, and use drugs to treat symptoms in the patient.

3. Important blood groups in blood transfusion

Blood in the human body is divided into 4 main groups: A, B, AB, O based on the antigens present on the surface of red blood cells. Specifically: People with blood group A will have A antigens on the surface of red blood cells and antibodies to B in the plasma, people with blood group B will have antigens B on the surface of red blood cells and antibodies A in the plasma. , people with blood type AB will have A and B antigens on the surface of red blood cells and no A and B antibodies in the plasma. People with type O blood have neither A nor B antigens on the surface of their red blood cells, but both A and B antibodies in their plasma. A and B are naturally occurring antibodies in the serum. The Rh blood group system has three main antigens: C antigen (Rh'), D antigen (Rh0), and E antigen (Rh''). However, only the D antigen is strongly antigenic and highly immunogenic. Therefore, only when the D antigen is present, it is called Rh+.
Rh blood group system antigens are highly heritable, and anti-Rh antibodies are only present in the body of people with Rh- blood group when they are immunized with red blood cells containing the D (Rh+) antigen. Therefore, if a patient has Rh- blood group and has never received an Rh+ blood transfusion, the first Rh+ blood transfusion will not have an anaphylactic reaction. However, if non-Rh+ blood transfusions are continued to Rh- patients for 2 - 4 months, the anti-Rh+ antibody levels in the Rh- recipient's blood will reach their maximum and can cause severe shock.

Blood types are allowed to be transfused, including:
Blood group A People with blood type A can donate blood to people with the same blood group A or blood group AB, and people with blood type A can also receive blood from people with type A, group O.
blood group B people with blood type B can donate blood to people with blood type B or group AB and vice versa, people with blood type B can receive blood from a donor blood group B or O.
Blood group AB Blood group AB is considered a rare blood group, people with this blood type can receive blood transfusions from other blood types but only to people with the same AB blood group. .
O blood group O blood group is quite common and has absolutely no antigens, so it can be transfused with all other blood types. However, people with type O blood can only receive blood from donors with the same type of blood because the A and B antibodies in the plasma of this blood group will attack other types, causing complications.

4. How safe is a blood transfusion?

In order to avoid complications when exchanging blood from different groups, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the principles of blood transfusion, that is, to transfuse blood from the same group with compatible antigens and antibodies, not simply carriers of the same group. All blood types A are transfused with blood group A and need to be tested by a doctor to see if they have Rh (+) or Rh (-) factors.
In addition, after determining the patient's blood type, the doctor will need to do cross-reactions by mixing the donor's red blood cells with the blood recipient's serum and vice versa, when no phenomenon occurs. agglutination of red blood cells, the blood can be transfused to the recipient.
In the case of a transfusion of different blood groups, the minimum rule must be followed that the donor's red blood cells should not be agglutinated in the recipient's blood because this is a complication that can cause the recipient to die quickly. fast. Blood transfusions of different groups must ensure the following principles: Group O will be transfused to 3 groups: A, B, and AB. Blood group A and group B can be transfused to group AB, and blood group AB cannot be transfused to group O, A, B. Only about 250ml of blood can be transfused, at a very slow rate. If the patient needing blood transfusion is Rh+ factor, Rh+ or Rh- blood transfusion can be done. However, if the patient needs a blood transfusion who is Rh-, then it is necessary to receive a blood transfusion that is Rh-.

At Vinmec International General Hospital, we are currently using a very modern Wadiana fully automatic blood grouping machine from Spain, allowing the ABO/Rh (D) blood grouping technique to be performed on an automated machine. .
This automatic blood grouping allows to minimize possible errors compared to manual methods. In addition, with a team of highly qualified doctors and technicians, the testing process is rigorous, rigorous, disciplined, and in compliance with regulations, helping to ensure absolute accuracy.

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