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This will be helpful if it comes to practical use, particularly for traumas. But we will still need to test for compatibility. There are something like 28 dif

by tait 8y ago

This will be helpful if it comes to practical use, particularly for traumas. But we will still need to test for compatibility. There are something like 28 different blood groups: Duffy, Kidd, Kell, etc. People who have antibodies to those other blood groups can have a reaction even if given O negative blood. (Source: I am board certified in Transfusion Medicine)

pkaye 8y ago
Do all those blood groups matter? How many different batches of blood do they need to keep around to handle a majority of the population?
- assblaster 8y ago
  Yes, because life threatening transfusion reactions can still occur if you have antibodies to those specific antigens.
- killjoywashere 8y ago
  > How many different batches of blood do they need to keep around to handle a majority of the population I'm the medical director for the blood bank of the only trauma center in an extremely remote location and a catchment of about 100,000 people. We operate our own donor center and do our own crossmatch (tube testing FTW!). We have 45 units of RBCs, 65 units of FFP, and 1 platelet unit for this evening. We also have 3 freezers full of frozen products and closely monitor our usage. Obstetrics is probably the biggest user, but trauma may be the biggest in any given month. Our high water mark in recent history is 58 units of various products used for one patient a few months ago. We were nervous but got her through it without breaking quarantine to release product (although the quarantine units* were next on the agenda). We pushed 20 units a few days ago for a post-partum hemorrhage. Quarantine in this case refers to units that have been produced but the infectious disease screening isn't complete yet, so we should not release them for use. Please donate blood.
- tait 8y ago
  Not adding much to the other responses - yes, those other blood groups matter, that's how they found them. The majority of the population does not have antibodies to the other blood groups - the majority of the population is covered with the basic 4. Blood group conversion (A, B, and AB to O) would be fantastic - it doesn't solve all the problems. As stated elsewhere - please donate blood! A lot of the interesting things we do in medicine are predicated on blood availability: trauma, many obstetrics cases, cancer treatment, organ transplant (including bone marrow transplant), major surgeries, etc. If you can't donate, encourage others to do so!

by tait 8y ago

pkaye 8y ago

Do all those blood groups matter? How many different batches of blood do they need to keep around to handle a majority of the population?

assblaster 8y ago
Yes, because life threatening transfusion reactions can still occur if you have antibodies to those specific antigens.
killjoywashere 8y ago
> How many different batches of blood do they need to keep around to handle a majority of the population I'm the medical director for the blood bank of the only trauma center in an extremely remote location and a catchment of about 100,000 people. We operate our own donor center and do our own crossmatch (tube testing FTW!). We have 45 units of RBCs, 65 units of FFP, and 1 platelet unit for this evening. We also have 3 freezers full of frozen products and closely monitor our usage. Obstetrics is probably the biggest user, but trauma may be the biggest in any given month. Our high water mark in recent history is 58 units of various products used for one patient a few months ago. We were nervous but got her through it without breaking quarantine to release product (although the quarantine units* were next on the agenda). We pushed 20 units a few days ago for a post-partum hemorrhage. Quarantine in this case refers to units that have been produced but the infectious disease screening isn't complete yet, so we should not release them for use. Please donate blood.
tait 8y ago
Not adding much to the other responses - yes, those other blood groups matter, that's how they found them. The majority of the population does not have antibodies to the other blood groups - the majority of the population is covered with the basic 4. Blood group conversion (A, B, and AB to O) would be fantastic - it doesn't solve all the problems. As stated elsewhere - please donate blood! A lot of the interesting things we do in medicine are predicated on blood availability: trauma, many obstetrics cases, cancer treatment, organ transplant (including bone marrow transplant), major surgeries, etc. If you can't donate, encourage others to do so!