Blood transfusion facts for kids
A blood transfusion is a special medical procedure. It's when doctors move blood (or parts of blood) from one person's body into another person's body. This helps people who need more blood.
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Why Do People Need Blood Transfusions?
Blood transfusions can save lives. People might need a transfusion if they have lost a lot of blood. This can happen because of a serious injury, an accident, or during a big medical operation.
Transfusions also help people with certain diseases. For example, someone with anemia might need one. Anemia means your blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells.
Where Does Blood Come From?
Blood used for transfusions comes from healthy people who donate it. This donated blood isn't used right away. It is stored carefully until it is needed.
The place where donated blood is kept is often called a blood bank. To keep the blood fresh, doctors add special medicine to stop it from clotting. They also keep it cold in a refrigerator. This way, blood can be stored safely for several days.
Challenges with Blood Transfusions
Not everyone can donate blood to everyone else. This is because people have different blood types. Before a transfusion, doctors always check the blood types of the donor and the patient. This is very important to make sure the blood is a good match. If the blood types don't match, the patient could have a serious reaction.
Some people have very rare blood types. This can make it harder to find matching blood for them. Special tests are done to find these rare types. This helps avoid problems during a transfusion. Sometimes, if a rare type is needed, it can be difficult to find a supply of blood that won't cause a reaction.
Related Pages
Images for kids
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The patient receives a blood transfusion through the cannula
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Canned blood during the blood transfusion process
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As the person receives their blood transfusion, the bag slowly gets emptier, leaving behind blood that has clotted before it could be administered.
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Interpretation of antibody panel to detect patient antibodies towards the most relevant human blood group systems. -
Richard Lower pioneered the first blood transfusion from animal to human in 1665 at the Royal Society.
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James Blundell successfully transfused human blood in 1818.
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William Stewart Halsted, M.D. (1852–1922) performed one of the first blood transfusions in the United States.
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Dr. Luis Agote (2nd from right) overseeing one of the first safe and effective blood transfusions in 1914
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World War II Russian syringe for direct inter-human blood transfusion
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Alexander Bogdanov established a scientific institute to research the effects of blood transfusion in Moscow, 1925.
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British poster of 1944 encouraging people to donate blood for the war effort
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Charles R. Drew oversaw the production of blood plasma for shipping to Britain during WW2.
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See also
In Spanish: Transfusión de sangre para niños
