Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Results
By Mayo Clinic staffYou may need further blood testing to see how your body is responding to the donor blood and to check if your blood levels have reached an appropriate level.
For example, if before the transfusion you were anemic, meaning you had low levels of red blood cells, your doctor will check to see how much the transfusion raised your red blood cell count.
Or, if you've had low platelets because of chemotherapy drugs, your doctor may test your blood to see whether the transfusion sufficiently boosted your platelet count. Some conditions require repeated blood transfusions.
References
- What is a blood transfusion? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/bt/. Accessed Feb. 6, 2012.
- Blood transfusion. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. http://www.lls.org//attachments/National/br_1144786293.pdf.#/diseaseinformation/managingyourcancer/newlydiagnosed/understandingdiagnosis/bloodtransfusion. Accessed Feb. 6, 2012.
- Blood transfusion and donation. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002989-pdf.pdf. Accessed Feb. 6, 2012.
- Katz EA. Blood transfusion: Friend or foe. Advanced Critical Care. 2009;20:155.
- Rawn J. The silent risks of blood transfusion. Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology. 2008;21:664.
- Sharma S, et al. Transfusion of blood and blood products: Indications and complications. American Family Physician. 201115;83:719.
- Jacob EK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 28, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on