Blood Transfusions And Its Effects On The Body - 2121 Words

Blood Transfusions Blood transfusions are a lifesaving method that are becoming more and more common. Aaron Dunnagan is perfect example of how they are lifesaving. Two years ago when he was 34 years old, Aaron experienced one of the most rare blood disorders called Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP). TTP is when you have blood clots that from in your blood vessels therefore causing lack of oxygen to get to your organs (Dunnagan). What’s frightening about TTP is that you are not born with the disorder you just somehow develop it. In Aaron’s case he had three embolisms (blood clots) that made it so he had a shortage of oxygen in his brain, making it hard for him to function (Dunnagan). His body had become autoimmune; this means his body was producing antibodies that were mistakenly attacking his body’s healthy blood cells (Dunnagan). The antibodies were causing a block in the activity of the ADAMTS13 enzyme (Dunnagan). As a result of the lack of enzymes, les s platelet were present in his plasma. This caused Aaron to need plasma exchange also referred to as an Apheresis machine, which supplies protein into the blood. In the total time of six months, Aaron had 54 transfusions done on him. For those six months, he needed eight pints of plasma every day, which is equivalent to eight people donating their blood. Blood transfusions is a complicated and a valuable medical procedure that is misunderstood by many people. Transfusions are used: (1) to restore the volume ofShow MoreRelatedThalassemia Is A Disorder That Affects The Blood Of Those Affected With The Disease Essay1166 Words   |  5 PagesThalassemia is a disorder that affects the blood of those affected with the disease. Thalassemia is an inherited disorder. Those affected with thalassemia experience irregular hemoglobin formation. The symptoms of the disorder have varying indications, which depend on the specific type of thalassemia. A common trait of the disease is mild to severe anemia. Thalassemia is an inherited disease. The disease is observed under two main types ÃŽ ±- and ÃŽ ²- thalassemia. The cause of the hemoglobin disorderRead MoreShould Blood Doping Be Illegal or Legal in Sports?1499 Words   |  6 Pageshealthy, exercising and training. Others use the easy way out, engaging with steroids, enhancements, and blood doping to get ahead of the competition. Many professional athletes have taken to the practice of blood doping in order to gain a competitive edge in their field. But there are those who are crying that doing so can have serious consequences not only to the sports world, but to one’s body as well. Sometimes they look for harmful procedures that increase their athletic ability but can potentiallyRead MoreEffects Of Hydroxyurea On People With Sickle Cell Anaemia1415 Words   |  6 Pages$34,266 for people age 30-39 in 2004. The major reason why the price varies is due to the age and weight of the patient. Generally the younger the patient is, the cheaper hydroxyurea is. Because Hydroxyurea is consumed in 15mg per kilogram of their body weight, the more the person weighs the more expensive the drug is. For an average patient with sickle cell disease reaching age 45, total undiscounted health care costs were estimated to reach $953,640† [5]. In countries like USA, patients have toRead MoreThe Risks Of Having Surgery1645 Words   |  7 Pages The risks of having surgery Everyday, people affront many reasons to have surgery. Some operations can relieve or prevent certain pain; others can reduce a symptom of a problem or improve some body function. Some surgeries are even done to detect a problem, but the truth is every surgery has associated risks that could be even worse than the apparently â€Å"resolved problem†. When planning to have surgery, the biggest concern someone should have is the final outcome. Will his or her life be improvedRead MoreThe Long Term Effects Of Colorectal Cancer1393 Words   |  6 Pagesconcomitantly present with anemia.1, 2 In addition to the blood loss expected during surgery, anemic patients undergoing surgical resection of colorectal cancer are at increased need for perioperative blood transfusion.2 In the early 1980s, researchers began to question the long-term effects of perioperative blood transfusions administered to patients with cancer.3 A year later the first clinical study was conducted and showed unto ward effects on cancer recurrence. Since then many studies have shownRead MoreThe Drug Of Red Blood Cells1568 Words   |  7 Pagesin response to a decrease in the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells in circulation (2). From the kidneys, erythropoietin (EPO) enters the blood stream and enters the bone marrow where it stimulates an increase in the production of red blood cells (1, 2). This mechanism functions as a negative feedback loop since the signaling of an increase in the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to an increased number of red blood cells inhibits further production of EPO. The release of EPO is veryRead MoreBlood Donation: The Gift of Life1127 Words   |  5 PagesIn the US alone a blood donation is needed every 2 seconds; that is 41,000 blood donations that are necessary every day (Blood Facts). The first efficacious blood transfusion was done in 1667 on a boy who was administered sheep blood, the boy survived. This alone paved the way for modern b lood transfusions. The first human to human donations were done in the early 1800’s and were unsuccessful due to the lack of knowledge with blood types. Then, in the 1900s, blood types were discovered and soonRead MoreThe Effects Of Blood Doping On Professional Sports1265 Words   |  6 PagesThe phenomenon of the blood doping in professional sports is not new; however, it remains prevalent in sports culture. With new techniques being designed to avoid detection, it could be argued that the prohibition of sports enhancing drugs in the professional sports mirror the prohibition of alcohol, making for unsafe, unsanitary and black market drug erupt. Instead of prohibition, could the professional sports community limitations in order to better allocate their money? There are great incentivesRead MoreA Febrile Reaction From A Woman With Anti Fyb812 Words   |  4 Pagesdiagnosis of fever at the time of transfusion? If a patient experiences fever after or during having a blood transfusion, it could be caused by the blood transfusion itself or the patient has an illness, which is causing the fever. It is not uncommon for a patient undergoing a blood transfusion to experience a fever due to febrile non-hemolytic reaction (FNHTR) caused by the effect of many different pathogens. Patients whose antibodies react with a donor’s white blood cells present febrile non-hemolyticRead MoreThe Health Benefits Of Blood Transfusions1009 Words   |  5 Pagesdonate blood, less than 10% of them do it annually (American Red Cross). More than 41,000 blood donations are required each day by patients in hospitals across America. A pint of donated blood can save the lives of up to three people. Blood transfusions’ are fundamental in the healthcare management of patients in the U.S. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute every year approximately 5 million Americans need blood tra nsfusions. Those patients requiring blood transfusions include