What happens to people who receive a wrong blood transfusion?

The person’s original blood rejects the donated blood, causing a number of complications. This can happen when the blood bag is changed or due to errors in identifying the patient, who ends up receiving a blood type (A, B, AB or O) that is incompatible with his or with an Rh factor (positive or negative) changed.

When the wrong blood enters the patient’s circulatory system, the worst scenario that can happen is an acute hemolytic reaction: the red blood cells (blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen) from the donated blood are destroyed. When this happens, doctors must immediately stop the transfusion and medicate the patient with saline solution.

Hydration has two functions: to accelerate the diuresis process (helps the kidneys to eliminate “invading” red blood cells) and to help raise blood pressure, one of the main complications of the reaction, which occurs at a rate of one in every 40,000 transfusions. The wrong blood transfusion can also cause less serious effects, such as itchy skin, allergic reactions and fever. In addition to serum, depending on the severity of hemolysis, the patient may need analgesics (to combat pain), antiallergic drugs or drugs to increase blood pressure. Less than 24 hours later, the body eliminates all the wrong blood that was received by the person.

Bad blood
Body reacts to the wrong transfusion with fever, low blood pressure, tachycardia and even darker pee

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1. When a person receives blood that is incompatible with his own, his defense cells, the white blood cells, see the donated blood as “invaders” and destroy other people’s red blood cells. Sometimes part of your red blood cells are also destroyed. This process is called hemolysis.

2. One of the first symptoms that something has gone wrong is a fever. The increase in temperature is a defense reaction of the body and the result of the destruction of red blood cells. It is a process similar to when we have a fever due to an infection, except that, in this case, the body sees the foreign red blood cells as invaders.

3. As a result of the process, the body produces vasodilator substances. The effect is a drop in blood pressure, which reduces blood supply and compromises oxygenation. To compensate for the low blood pressure, the heart beats faster. Chest and back pain develop

4. The pressure drop also affects the kidneys, which do not work properly. The person loses hemoglobin (protein responsible for transporting oxygen) through pee, which becomes dark. The situation can worsen to a picture of acute renal failure and even death of the patient.

Read too:

– If the blood is red, why are the veins green?
– How is blood made?
«Drunken blood catches fire?»

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