Blood transfusion risk vs benefits??

[WheresSpot]

Hello, just wanted some advice?been watching This Morning about haemophiliacs infected with HIV from blood transfusions in the 80?s.

What are the risks today? Obviously blood is now screened for Hepatitis and HIV, but what about other blood borne diseases?

I had a blood transfusion following a retained placenta. I tried for a natural third stage but nothing was happening, had the injection and still nothing. Midwives tried cord traction which caused quite a lot of blood loss and I passed a large clot.

I was transferred to hospital (had an amazing home birth and DD was born in a birth pool ) for a manual removal of placenta. I was given 2 units of blood as well as saline, antibiotics and something to make the uterus contract and stem the blood flow.

Apparently I lost 800ml of blood and I did feel quite unwell so I gave my consent for a transfusion without much thought, as I was totally out of it!

Is 800ml a significant amount of blood loss do you think? Its only now I?m wondering if it was really necessary and what risks this may pose to my future health .

What treatment could be given instead of a transfusion?

Also when planning for the next birth will a retained placenta and post partum haemorrhage in my first birth mean it will happen again? Do you think this will be a contraindication to home pool birth next time?

I?m definitely going to have a managed third stage next time to try and avoid retained placenta and will ask to be transferred to hospital for a manual removal sooner, to reduce amount of blood loss caused by traction on the cord.

Any advice would be great, I?m really worrying that I might have put myself at unnecessary risk and want to be better informed for next time!

My sister recently had a blood transfusion she was not told by the nurses that there was a vCJD disclaimer on the blood product being used, she now has to live with the worry that she may develop vCJD through unscreened UK blood. The only way to be 100% safe is if all donated blood is screened using a blood filter kit, these are currently in use in France and supplied by a Canadian company called Amorfix. Recently we have been told that anybody born after 1996 and who needs a blood transfusion will be given filtered blood (not using the Amorfix kits, this still means that donated blood to anyone born before 1996 will be unscreened. If you would like to know more about vCJD check out Justiceforandy website, lots of facts and upto date information for those concerned. Also you may want to ask your local MP what they are doing about this subject as it could affect you at anytime.

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to alert people to what disclaimer is written on blood bags used for transfusions as follows:

"RISK OF ADVERSE REACTION/INFECTION INCLUDING vCJD"

we have the ability to screen all donated blood but this is very costly and not in force, our health continues to be put at risk from the human form of mad cows disease (vCJD)