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0:00
My name is Neil Blumberg
and I'm a physician who
works at the University
of Rochester
Medical Center in Rochester,
New York in the USA.
I'm a hematologist with a
particular interest not
only in blood diseases
but in blood transfusion.
And the topic of today's
talk is "Blood Tansfusion".
0:21
What is blood transfusion?
I think most people know
a little bit about it,
but mentioned that blood
transfusion is the infusion into
a recipient's vein of
a blood component that
can be whole blood,
it can be the red cells.
It can be liquid
portion called plasma.
Or can be platelets
that are involved
in hemostasis
preventing bleeding.
These cells usually come from
a altruistic donor and is given
to a patient who has
life threatenin-illness
Because transfusions
are very serious
undertaking and it's only
used in patients, with
quite serious problems.
It can be, in fact lifesaving.
It is in effect like a
temporary organ transplant just
as if you had a liver transplant
or kidney transplant,
except it's not permanent
because blood doesn't
hang around forever.
1:15
Why are red blood cell transfusions
used? These are in fact
the most common form of
transfusions used by
physicians or nurses.
The most common use for
transfusions is for bleeding.
This is only usually
life-threatening bleeding,
not mild bleedind or for
life-threatening anemia,
which is, anemia is defined as
a reduced amount of
circulating red blood cells,
which carry oxygen. And the most
common cause of
life-threatening bleeding,
as you might imagine,
is injury or trauma such as
a motor vehicle accident.
But occasionally it can occur in
a inadvertent fashion
after surgery.
The most common cause of
life-threatening anemia or
low red cell count is
diseases of the bone marrow,
which is where red
cells are made.
