December 21 2010 (Tuesday) - Post Transfusion


An interesting case. Clearly microscopically there is a dimorphic population from a blood transfusion in November

TRANS, FUSION                                       A+      
DOB  28/02/1960 Sex F Pat No 173985       Source    GP    
Address    FOLKESTONE,                    Clinician WHO  

  Date 20/12/2010 09/12/2010 11/11/2010 17/08/2009 05/08/2009 19/02/2009
  Time 15:30      14:45      15:30      14:50      15:25      u/k     
  Spec AW269253P  AM982778X  AW140608Q  AW219311R  AW183817E  AW279932C
       BIO        BIO        BIO        BIO        BIO        BIO

HB     9.9        9.6        7.4        12.2       12.0       12.3
WBC    5.5        5.3        5.7        5.4        4.0        11.7
PLT    335        353        568        346        288        242
RBC    4.82       5.06       4.57       4.31       4.07       4.06
HCT    0.350      0.352      0.280      0.390      0.400      0.380
MCV    72.8       69.6       61.3       91.2       97.1       93.6
MCH    20.5       19.0       16.2       28.3       29.5       30.3
MCHC   28.2       27.3       26.4       31.0       30.4       32.4
NEUH   2.9        3.3        3.2        3.4        1.5        9.1
LYMPH  1.9        1.5        2.0        1.5        1.9        1.7
MONO   0.4        0.4        0.4        0.4        0.5        0.9
EOS    0.2        0.1        0.1        0.1        0.1        0.0



I’m well aware of the vagaries of haematological analysis following blood transfusions, but know nothing of how biochemistry is affected. From a conversation with a consultant clinical chemist, it would seem that there is little information available in scientific literature.

Given that any parameter’s post transfusion level is similar to the pre-transfusion level, then it’s safe to say there’s been no effect.
Given that there is a difference, then how much is due to the fact that the patient is critically ill (after all, they needed a blood transfusion!) and how much is due to the transfusion itself would seem to be a matter of conjecture.
One lives and learns…

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