Why might I need a transfusion?

For Red Blood Cells (RBCs):

• To replace blood lost in surgery or accidents
• To treat anaemia (shortage of red blood cells)
• During the treatment of cancer or leukaemia.

For Platelets:

• To increase the number of platelets in your blood
• To replace the platelets which are not working properly.

For Plasma:

• Reverse low levels of clotting factors (where clotting factors are unavailable)
• Clotting factor deficiencies
• In the treatment of rare blood disorders.

Would a blood transfusion help me?

For RBCs:

If you are anaemic, your body does not have enough red blood cells to carry the oxygen you require. You may feel tired or breathless. Most people can cope very well with losing a moderate amount of blood (for example, 2-3 pints from your total of 8-10 pints). Volume lost can be replaced with intravenous fluids , and over the next few weeks your body will make new red blood cells. However, if larger amounts are lost it may be necessary to replace this by blood transfusion so that you do not become too anaemic. Use of medicines and vitamins may be an alternative to transfusion to increase haemoglobin or red blood cell production when the situation is less urgent. However, there are medical treatments or operations that cannot be safely carried out without using blood.

For Platelets

By increasing the number of platelets in your blood, or replacing platelets which are not working properly. Platelets are small cells found in the blood which help your blood to clot. If there are not enough or they are not working properly you may bruise easily, have some red spots on your skin, or bleed a lot from cuts. The number of platelets in your blood (platelet count) is reduced a lot if your bone marrow is not working properly, most commonly this is due to cancer treatment (chemotherapy drugs). Platelets are made in the bone marrow and following chemotherapy it stops making these cells for a short time and then starts back up again. In some cases the body is using up platelets are faster than they can be produced so platelet transfusion may be needed for a short period of time, for example after cardiac bypass surgery.

For Plasma

Clotting factors are proteins which help the blood to clot. If your clotting factors are low you may bruise easily or bleed from a wound for a longer time than other people. Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) contains many different clotting factors and Cryoprecipitate contains more of one clotting factor called fibrinogen. A transfusion of these plasma products increases the level of clotting factors in your blood.

What are the risks of transfusion?