By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
Receiving the wrong blood type during a transfusion can trigger a life-threatening “acute haemolytic transfusion reaction”, which can lead to kidney failure, shock, coma, or death.
A senior Laboratory Physician at the National Blood Service, Dr. Williams Ansah-Otu warns against the growing practice of patronising unvetted “blood sellers” around hospitals and cases of blood being stolen from hospital fridges and presented to patients.
Explaining the science of blood types in simple terms on the GTV Breakfast Show today, Dr. Ansah-Otu said the body’s red blood cells react aggressively when they encounter an incompatible type.
“What that means is that, the person’s red cells or the patient’s red cell will get up and they’re like, hey, we are A, we have A label, but you are B, you have B label, who are you, where are you coming from? They will just attack it and break it down. It’s, what we call haemolysis,” he explained.
He described the consequence as “very dangerous” and potentially fatal.
According to Dr. Ansah-Otu, Haemolysis is the destruction of red blood cells. When red blood cells are prematurely brokendown or when there is destruction of red blood cells (erythrocytes) before they complete their normal 120-day lifespan, the cells rupture and release hemoglobin into the surrounding fluid. Because red blood cells carry oxygen, excessive destruction leads to tissue oxygen deprivation and anemia.
Dr. Ansah-Otu raised serious concerns about people who approach relatives of patients at hospitals offering blood for sale without proper screening.
“When we go to certain hospitals, there are people who are walking about, when they see patient’s relatives looking for blood, they approach them and ask them, do you need blood? Oh, I can help you”. These guys go about getting blood here and there. Sometimes the blood is not even screened nor vetted and they just sent it to the wards”.
The National Blood Service, according to Dr. Ansah-Otu, has been “working tirelessly to make sure that these acts will be reduced.” His advice to the public is to avoid middlemen entirely. “As best as possible, do not patronise these guys who are walking around in hospitals donating blood. They are everywhere. Go straight to the blood bank, your hospital blood bank, if you need blood,” he urged.
