Thread started: Mar 22 2012, 7:13 PM EDT
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What is your blood type? The main blood types are A, B, and O. There is also AB. You will be Rh pos or Rh Neg making a total of 8 possible blood types. There are a number of other typing criteria.
Which you have is determined by your genes and is not likely to change. It is important to know your blood type in the case you need a transfusion. While most hospitals will perform this test should the need arise, in disasters the testing may not be available.
Once upon a time, one could go to the local blood bank and get typed. That is not so true any longer.
You may need to get a blood typing kit and do this yourself. Kits can be ordered for ~ US$10
At Amazon.comFor a blood transfusion to be successful, AB0 and Rh blood groups must be compatible between the donor blood and the patient blood. If they are not, the red blood cells from the donated blood will clump or agglutinate. The agglutinated red cells can clog blood vessels and stop the circulation of the blood to various parts of the body. The agglutinated red blood cells also crack and its contents leak out in the body. The red blood cells contain hemoglobin which becomes toxic when outside the cell. This can have fatal consequences for the patient.
This link shows slides of agglutinated cells.
Without the antibodies to test with, one can separate the blood cells from the serum using centripetal force. Do this with two samples separately. Then mix the Red Blood Cells. If agglutination occurs then neither patient can be a donor for the other.
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