DR PETER WILLIAMSON

• Describe the ABO and Rh blood groups

AB = universal recipient but can only donate to AB

O = universal donor can only recieve from O types this is because it has no antigens

A = can donate/recieve to/from A (can also receive from O)

B = can donate/receive to/from A (can also receive from O)

Rhesus groups include

cCDeE

if you do not have rhesus D you are labelled as Rhesus negative and thi scan cause rhesus disease in pregnancy to your baby if you are with a man who is rhesus positive

• Explain what a transfusion reaction is and why it might occur.

acute haemolytic reaction can occur due to a recipient having pre existing antibodies against antigens that the donor blood may have contained

delayed haemolytic reaction can occur due to a recipient developing antibodies against antigens that the donors blood contained

TACO - Transfusion associated circulatory overload can occur if too much blood is input into someones system too quickly, it can result in too large a volume of circulating blood for the heart to deal with and can cause death it is currently the leading cause of transplant deaths

Unessasary delay - the 2nd most common form of death from transplants includes delay, unessasary delay to a patient receiving a transplant can result in death