Anaemia, a condition characterised by a low red blood cell count or reduced haemoglobin levels, often necessitates blood transfusions to restore normal blood parameters. Transfusion Medicine specialists are responsible for selecting appropriate blood components, ensuring compatibility, and monitoring the patient during the transfusion process.
Aplastic anaemia occurs when the body's bone marrow can no longer produce enough blood cells. Consequently, the numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells, and blood platelets all decrease. In this situation, doctors prescribe infusions of blood and platelets.
Patients with inherited or acquired blood disorders, such as Sickle cell disease, thalassemia, or haemophilia, require regular transfusions and specialised blood products. Transfusion Medicine units are well-equipped to manage these cases with precision and care.
Haemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that binds oxygen and allows it to be carried to all of our body's tissues, is affected by a hereditary condition called sickle cell anaemia. Red blood cells with sickle cell anaemia take on a sickle or crescent shape and become stiff, thus the name sickle cell.
Patients undergoing cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, often experience a reduction in their blood cell counts. Transfusion Medicine is essential in providing blood products to support these patients during their treatments and recovery.
