why might I need a blood transfusion?
Some cancers and cancer treatments can cause anaemia. This is when the level of red blood cells (haemoglobin or Hb) in your blood is too low. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body and if you don't have enough of them you can become very tired and lack energy. This is because the amount of oxygen being carried around your body has decreased.
what is a blood transfusion?
It means that blood (from a donor) is given by a drip (infusion) into one of your veins. The blood contains extra red cells which pick up the oxygen from your lungs and take it around your body to other tissues and organs. This gives you more energy and you don’t feel so tired.
what happens?
You have to give a sample of blood so that doctors can 'cross-match' it. This means finding blood from a donor that is compatible with yours.
For the transfusion you'll need to have a needle inserted in one of the veins in the back of your hand or arm (or you may already have a central line or a PICC line in place). This is then connected to a drip. The blood is then run through the drip.
Blood for transfusions is stored in small plastic bags. Each bag is called a unit and contains about half a litre. Depending on how anaemic you are, you might need between 2 and 4 units. Each unit is given over a period of 1-2 hours. If you need a few units of blood then you may need to stay in hospital overnight. But if you're only having a couple of units then you can usually have these as a day patient or outpatient.
possible side effects
During the transfusion, your temperature, pulse and blood pressure will be checked regularly by the nurses. This is to check for any reaction to the blood. Common side effects that can happen include headaches, a slight rise in temperature or a skin rash. These effects can be relieved by drugs such as paracetemol, which the nurses will give to you if you need it.
are blood transfusions safe?
Sometimes people worry that they might get an infection from platelets donated by someone else. All blood donations are screened really thoroughly to check for infections such as HIV, hepatitis and malaria before they're used. Also, there have been no reports of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) infection due to blood or platelet transfusion. The blood is not given to a patient until all tests are found to be negative. This means that the risk of infection is extremely small.
