blood transfusion

[Kristal53]

Is there any way, if you know you are going to need a transfusion (forthcoming operation for instance) that you can have a few pints of your own blood collected over a couple of months and stored.

[rowanwitch]

It is possible to collect and store a small amount. I am not sure if the service is generally available it might be worth phoning your hospital's haematology departmentas they may be able to tell you .

[Nibble]

Try asking for an autologus storage, i.e

In blood banking terminology, autologous blood donation refers to a blood donation marked for use by the donor, typically for a scheduled surgery. They are commonly called "Autos" by blood bank staff.

Some advantages of autologous blood donation are:
Blood type will always match, even with a rare blood type or antibody type.
If only autologous blood is used during surgery the risk of exposure to infectious disease such as hepatitis or HIV from blood is eliminated.
The risk of allergic reactions is reduced.

The disadvantages are typically:
Higher cost due to individualized processing, record-keeping, and management.
In most cases, the blood is discarded if it is not used instead of being added to the general supply.

Autologous blood is not routinely tested for infectious diseases markers such as HIV antibodies. In the United States, autologous blood is tested only if it is collected in one place and shipped to another.

There is also a risk that, in an emergency or if more blood is required than has been set aside in advance, the patient could still be exposed to donor blood instead of autologous blood. Autologous donation is also not suitable for patients who are medically unable to or advised not to give blood, such as cardiac patients or small children and infants.


Hope this helps. :-)

[Kristal53]

great answer nibble - thanks!

[LazyGun]

Good answer from Nibble, and little to add from a technical perspective, except to say that, assuming you are based in the UK, it is still the case that not many hospitals are geared up for this process, and you would need to arrange it as early as possible, probably via your GP in the first instance.

[ilovemarkb]

think nibble maybe has some kind of medical background!! And got good grades at school / college for his lengthy answers !!??!!