Long term Stored Blood - Increase Risk of Infection on Transfusion

Blood is an important part in our body but not everybody knows about its functions. Blood is a transportation system; carrying oxygen from lungs to organs and supplies nutrients as well and it also carry waste products produce by organs like liver to eliminate them either through kidney, lungs or skin.
Blood transfusion is necessary when there is blood loss either because of major accidents or during surgery or when person has chronic illness due to infections and blood diseases that destroys blood cells. Blood is collected from people who donate it voluntarily. Before taking the blood of donor, certain information is documented including age, health status about any previous infections (HIV, Malaria, Hepatitis) or other disease and blood groups are also checked. Mostly blood is collected from donor at blood banks and through Red Cross.
Certain things that is necessary to check before transfusing blood to patient like patient’s blood group that is cross matching and trial blood transfusion that is transfusing some amount of blood to patient then check patient’s vitals like temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate and blood pressure and of course ask patient’s complaints like nausea, vomiting, vertigo or palpitation (uncomfortable awareness of heart beat).
When blood has been stored for long period, it increases the risk of infection since after storing blood for long period of time, certain chemicals that are called as cytokines are released in blood. These cytokines when transfused along with blood can disturbs immune system of recipient and predisposes to infection especially of lung infections like pneumonia or blood poisoning can occur.
Earlier than when the technology or certain tests were not developed to detect infections like HIV, malaria and hepatitis, there was a question about from where the blood has come from. But now when technologies and tests are there to detect these infections and other necessary things that should be checked before transfusion, there is a question about how long the blood is stored.
In the response to this question of period of time of storage of blood, if there is any change in storage of blood, it can lead to shortage of blood for transfusion. Now tests are also being done for checking chemicals like cytokines along with infections before transfusion. But the question still remains there about how long the blood is stored.


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