Thread by @spinesurgeon

Long thread on Transfusion and few Polls

Blood has three main functions
1.
Carry Oxygen (Red Blood Cells do that )
2.
Fights against Bacteria and Viruses and every thing (White Blood Cells and the Antibodies do that)
3.
When there is a wound, it forms a clot

(Platelets and clotting Factors do that)

So
When do you need to give blood or various blood products to a patient

You need to give blood to a patient when
1.
Capacity to carry oxygen is low (due to blood loss or anemia)
Blood loss can be due to injury or surgery or

complications of pregnancy

2.
Capacity to Fight Infections may be needed when the person is suffering from an infection for which specific drugs are not available, but serum from another patient may be helpful

3
Capacity to form clots is reduced due to

Platelet problem or clotting factors problem

Example of Low Platelet Count is Dengue
Example of Clotting Factors problem is diseases like Hemophilia

So Basically
You give Whole blood or the particular products

In All these cases
There are various risks

1.
The Blood may not match and hence cells may be destroyed

2.
Infections which are present in the donor's blood can come to the recipient

-

To Avoid the Latter,
they do screen the blood in blood bank

But the truth is

Inspite of all these screenings and tests,
You can still get the disease

Some of these can be easily curable

Some of these disease like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C do not have a cure at present

So
What you need to understand is

Whenever you get a transfusion
Be it Whole Blood or Only Red Blood Cells or Only Plasma or only platelets

There is always a risk of you getting disease

There is a risk even after all tests were done by Blood Bank

Did you know this already

It is Quite Rare

But
Still such events have happened in the past
and it will also happen in the future

Now,
Recently they advice

Plasma Treatment for CoVID19
There is a risk of getting HIV, Hepatitis in this treatment even if All tests have been done

Now coming to the second Poll
Assume you or some one known to you got this Plasma treatment and cured
Later he develops AIDS

Will you accept this as routine complication
or
Will you blame the hospital and doctor for negligence

Do you think that doctors and hospitals were negligent in this case

Or

This is a rare but expected complication

thehindu.com/news/cities/Co…

Do you think that doctors and hospitals were negligent in this case

Or

This is a rare but expected complication
livemint.com/Politics/mRWsB…

Do you think that doctors and hospitals were negligent in this case

Or

This is a rare but expected complication

health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/rs…

Here after
Whenever you come across news of some one getting HIV or some other disease following blood transfusion

Will you
Scold doctors and hospitals in High Decibel
or
Explain that these are parts of treatment and have to be accepted, even though they are unlucky