Simple testing for A, B or O would show them ( falsely ) to be O, hence danger of life threatening Transfusion reaction if given blood from 99.9 % of the world's population, putting them at a high risk in emergency situations.
42.
"The blood bank and nursing errors were compounded, " it added, " by the failure of a surgical resident and a supervising fifth-year resident to recognize the signs of a transfusion reaction after the patient received the first unit of blood ."
43.
Another important breakthrough came in 1939 40 when Karl Landsteiner, Alex Wiener, Philip Levine, and R . E . Stetson discovered the Rhesus blood group system, which was found to be the cause of the majority of transfusion reactions up to that time.
44.
In today's New England Journal, Dr . Elliot P . Vichinsky, a hematologist at California's Children's Hospital in Oakland, studied 551 sickle cell patients aged 5 months to 60 years and found limited transfusions were just as effective in preventing surgical complications _ and halved the transfusion reactions.
45.
Plasma from a donor of blood group A has antibodies against blood group B, and would cause a transfusion reaction if transfused to a recipient of blood group B . However, as mentioned above, plasma is also used as raw material for industrial production of specific proteins, such as concentrated amtibodies.
46.
If absent, there is a slightly increased risk of a transfusion reaction . Medical Alert bracelets are not necessary, but the family and primary physician should be aware that if there is elective surgery requiring red cell transfusion, the cells should be washed to decrease the risk of an allergic reaction.
