Blood Groups: Everything you need to know about them

Blood is one of the most important fluids contained within the body and makes up about 10% of an adult human being's total body weight. It is essential because it is responsible for many tasks.Our blood is responsible for providing oxygen and different nutrients to all the parts of the body so they can keep functioning well. Blood carries CO2 and other waste materials to our kidneys. It also carries them to our digestive system for the purpose of getting removed from our body.

Our blood has the ability to fight infections and diseases and regulate a healthy body temperature. It carries hormones and moves it to all parts of our body. And last but not the least, it helps to maintain total body balance by ensuring that these functions are being carried out correctly. There are usually four kinds of blood groups or blood types as categorised by the ABO system - A, B, AB and O. An individuals’ blood group is decided by the genes inherited from the parents.

The importance of having proper knowledge of your blood type is to prevent any risk from receiving an incompatible blood group type at the time of need or emergency. In almost every case, if two different blood groups or types are mixed, it can automatically lead to lumping of blood. nIt can be very dangerous and fatal. It is essential to detect and get informed about your blood type. Even parents should have knowledge about their toddler’s blood groups from the time they are born.

The situation can also become deadly and lethal if someone informs the wrong blood group to a specialist. The donors and the recipients should be well aware about their blood types.

• The top three most common blood groups in the world are B+, A+ and O+ with percentages of 22.02, 27.42 and 38.67, respectively.
• O+ is known as the most common blood type in the world. But it is not as universal as the ‘O- type’. Reason being, people with O+ blood type can donate to all Rh positive blood groups but not to the Rh negatives.

As mentioned earlier, the ‘O-’ blood type is considered to be the safest and the best blood in the world. In the cases of emergency and when there is a shortage in the supply of the exact blood type, the experts give the patients this particular blood group.

O- blood group’s red cells have proven to be safe and it works perfect for everybody. But, there have been claims and some people also say that the blood type AB+ is the best as it is the Universal recipient. Means that it can receive blood from any blood type in the world. But when it comes to donation of blood, O- is known as the best blood type.

Also, there are many other factors and studies which show what blood type has an edge over other blood types. There are different cases For example:

• Cells that are infected with malaria do not usually stick to the people that have blood types O and B. They are on the safer side as compared to blood type A.
• People with blood group O have low levels of the blood-clotting factor, therefore chances of death due to trauma are high. On the other hand, chances of death due to stroke is higher for the people who have the blood type AB as their blood clots more.
• Some studies have also shown that women having the blood type O have less number of healthy eggs. Though more research is needed for completely relying on this.
• The people people blood type AB have more cases of memory problems, for eg. Dementia.
• Type 2 Diabetes is more commonly seen in the blood types A and B.
• Gastric cancer/stomach cancer is most commonly seen in the people having type A.

After reading about all this, we all must be ambiguous. It is true. Reason being, we can’t just look into a single factor or case and then conclude what blood type is best. Even if blood type O- is considered to be the Universal donor, there are many other factors and situations that don’t work in the favour of this particular blood type. In some of the cases, they are more prone to catch a disease as compared to other blood groups.

Having said that, the diversity we have in accordance with the blood groups in the world, the chances of survival becomes easier and much higher. Different blood types come to the rescue for different situations or cases. Imagine if we all had the similar blood type, would it be possible for everyone to get the cure for every disease? No. Right? Diversity makes it so much easier and knowing and learning about these blood types proves to be very beneficial for any uncertainty ahead.

Many people are unaware about the term “blood transfusion”. But it is very simple and very important to understand.

Blood Transfusion is a type of medical procedure in which the donated blood is given to a person with the help of a narrow tube which is placed in the vein of the arm. When any person goes through an injury and suffers blood loss and is in urgent need of blood, this procedure comes into play and saves the life of that person. This process basically provides the part/parts of blood that a person needs.

The blood mainly has 4 components:

1. Red blood cells
2. White blood cells
3. Platelets
4. Plasma

Of these, Red blood cells are transfused the most. People can also be provided with the whole blood, i.e, all the parts of blood but that is not something very common.

These procedures are often very safe and reliable. But there are few complications and risks that can be experienced under some cases.nMild complications or very rare severe complications can be experienced by some people while undergoing the process or after a few days of transfusion.

Proper screening of donor’s blood is done at the blood bank to reduce the risk of any transfusion-related infections. Therefore, the chances of having Hepatitis B/C or HIV is extremely rare.

1. Acute Immune Hemolytic Reaction: If the blood type does not match with the person’s original blood, then chances are that the immune system of that person can attack the transfused Red blood cells.
2. Delayed Hemolytic Reaction: It is same as the Acute Immune Hemolytic Reaction, but in this case, it occurs more slowly. It might take 1-4 weeks to witness a slowdown in the number of red blood cells.
3. Graft-versus-host disease: In this case, the white blood cells do attack the bone marrow. These cases are very severe and fatal. These cases are usually seen with the people that have severely weakened immune systems.

If you want to avoid the risks associated with blood transfusion, you may log on to Pristyn Care as they have a team of highly experienced and skilled doctors who are the masters of their craft.

Steps:

1. FIND THE PERFECT TYPE AND CROSSMATCH
   • Sending the blood sample to the blood bank.
   • The blood sample should have proper labelling with timing and other details.
   • Blood bank will find the correct match and prepare the units.
2. HEALTH HISTORY AND INFORMED CONSENT
   • Proper discussion with the patient needs to be done.
   • The doctor supervising should have the authority and the signature consent for administration of blood products.
   • Check for any health history or allergies
3. OBTAIN LARGE BORE IV ACCESS
   • Each unit gets transfused within 2-4 hours.
   • Obtain another IV access if the patient needs it.
4. ASSEMBLE THE SUPPLIES
   • Blood warmer must be there.
   • Special Y tubing should be present with an in-line filter.
   • 0.9% NaCl Solution.
5. CHECK THE BASELINE VITAL SIGNS
   • Heart rate, BP, pulse oximeter and temperature.
   • The accurate urine output and lung sounds should be checked.
   • Temperature should be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. OBTAIN BLOOD FROM THE BANK
   • Scheduling the delivery from the blood bank.
   • The packed RBCs or Red Blood Cells can be hung only one at a time.
   • Once the blood gets released for the patient, you have approximately 20 to 30 minutes to start and approx 4 hours to complete the whole transfusion process.

Before the Transfusion Proceduren

• Verify the blood product
  Rh-factor compatibility and the donor’s and the recipient’s blood types.
• Educate the patient well
  The patient should be taught that when he/she experiences itching, rash, headache or back pain, nausea, blood in urine, vomiting, sweat, chills, increased heart rate; he or she should immediately inform the doctor.
• Assess and document status of the patient
  Preparation of the Y-tubing.
  Blood kept ready in the infusion pump.
  Blood to be run slowly for the first 15 minutes.

1. Check for any of the following reactions:
   • Allergies
   • Transfusion related acute lung injury
   • Febrile
2. If any reaction is noticed:
   • The process is to be put on hold immediately.
   • The tube is to be disconnected from the patient’s body.
   • Status of the person to be checked in every few minutes to avoid delays
   • Bring it to the notice of the blood bank and the doctor.

• Use the normal saline to flush out the Y- string.
• The Y string is to be disposed of in a red biohazard bin.
• The patient’s status needs to be documented and post-transfusion vital signs need to be obtained.

These steps of the procedure are extremely essential for any expert. An expert or even a nurse should know what comes after what. Also, not just them, the patients and the donors, both should be well aware about the precautions and the steps associated with the transfusion. They must be vigilant and vocal enough. They too must look out for an occurrence of an uncertain situation.

The process of transfusion can go smoothly only when every party knows about their role. Proper knowledge and awareness can lead to success. Therefore, nurses provided strict training under expert supervision about the procedure to minimise the chances of mishaps during or after the procedure. These measures are considered crucial to ensure patient’s safety and reduce pain or discomfort.