[sybilleruth]

Perhaps individuals who are new to this site may wish to be informed of the hidden dangers, that are not necessarily shared in a hospital setting, when approached by medical professionals to consent to blood transfusions during any surgical procedures. In most cases, accepting blood transfusions is an elective procedure, yet there are several dangers in doing so...

• If the blood is given very quickly, such that the heart cannot pump the extra load, fluid may accumulate in the lungs.
• If the blood is incorrectly typed, or if there are components in the body that could not be detected during typing and "cross matching", the transfused blood cells may be abruptly destroyed with consequent damage to the kidneys with severe illness in the recipient.
• White blood cells that may remain in the blood unit may clump together or release chmicals causing lung disease or severe fever.
• Blood may be contaminated by bacteria during storage which will cause potentially fatal infections in the recipient.
• Viruses and other parasites that were present in the donor may contaminate the blood and cause illness in the recipient; these include HIV, hepatitis, malaria, sepia and many others.

A heartfelt thanks goes to the following site for the above information... Blood Transfusion: Benefits And Risks