Today it is difficult to imagine medicine without a blood transfusion. More recently, a transfusion was required only when a person needed to recover a large loss, but today a blood transfusion is able to cope with many serious diseases. For example, many have already come across the term “autohemotherapy”, despite the fact that it refers more to alternative medicine, it was with this method that thousands of lives were saved. It is also a blood transfusion that helps the body maintain immunity and fight the disease.
The history of the development of blood transfusion in medicine
The history of blood transfusion and donation are a thing of the past. Transfusion has long been known as a special technology in medicine, which helps to save the patient's life by introducing to the patient all the components from the body of the donor. Blood transfusion , red blood cells and other substances that are absent or in small quantities in the patient's body can be transfused. Of course, the technology of modern society is described above, the fact is that in the old days this was not because there was no special equipment with which it would be possible to separate the plasma from red blood cells.
The first blood transfusion was made when a person realized that blood is the main component of a living organism and if it is not enough, then a person will simply die. After numerous experiments, doctors came to the conclusion that there is also blood incompatibility during transfusion, therefore, accurate calculations were made on the amount of transfused blood and its division into compatibility groups.
How was the first blood transfusion made, and new developments by scientists in this direction
Until the moment when people found special tools for transfusion, there were different ways. For example, from the very beginning people were allowed to drink fresh blood from an animal or a person, but, of course, this method was ineffective. In search of suitable methods, attempts were made and other technologies, the first of them passed a successful test in 1848, but the most effective technology became relevant only in the 20th century.
It was very important to ensure that the blood was stored for a long time, so in 1926 the well-known Alexander Bogdanov Blood Transfusion Institute made an important discovery for medicine, the scientists of this institute proved that it is not necessary to store whole blood, it is quite possible to preserve its components. Based on these findings, new methods for plasma conservation began to be developed, and later blood substitutes were even created.
Interesting facts from the history of blood transfusion
As a rule, initially a blood transfusion could be carried out only from relatives who acted as donors, for example, in the 20th century it was believed that either a mother or a brother could become a donor. It was believed that in this case there is a small risk that the patient will begin to develop an allergic reaction or the blood will not suit him. But later, doctors began to develop the topic of donation and found that donors can be not only relatives, but also other people who want to donate blood.
Thus, the history of blood transfusion began to develop even more rapidly. Every year a breakthrough is noticed in medicine in this direction, and now there are many medical methods that can cure even very complex and fatal diseases with the help of blood transfusion. For a donor, a blood transfusion is an absolutely safe undertaking, so a lot of such procedures can be done per year.
What is the essence of blood transfusion in modern medicine?
Currently, medicine is generally difficult to imagine without a blood transfusion. For example, when the autohemotherapy technology is used, the patient has a chance to increase his immunity without the slightest harm to his health, the doctors have no warnings about this, but in this case, when a blood transfusion is performed, the Rh factor is necessarily taken into account and additional tests are performed, if the donor is relatives. This method of transfusion can be used to update the blood, with anemia and other pathologies in the human body. It is important that the doctor can establish the diagnosis in time and take all the measures to eliminate it in a timely manner.
Who can and cannot become a blood transfusion donor?
Today, being a donor is an honor, therefore, many people strive to get this title, so it is important to carefully study who can become a donor and how much blood donors donate in a year. It is not at all difficult to become a donor, absolutely all people between the ages of 18 and 60 are suitable for this, but it is important to remember that you should not have any contraindications for health. Nearly 500 ml of blood can be taken from a donor at a time. People who have a body weight of less than 50 kilograms must undergo special doctors who can give a certificate that a person can act as a donor.
Some people may have their own contraindications, which means that they will not be able to act as donors, in which case blood transfusion has consequences that can cost a life. For example, a person who has ever had such diseases in his life cannot become a donor:
- A person who was HIV infected.
- If there is syphilis, regardless of whether it is congenital or acquired.
- Positive hepatitis tests.
- Tuberculosis.
In order to be able to take a plasma, in every city there is a blood transfusion station where the presumptive donor can take all the tests and make sure that his blood is suitable.
When is the title of honorary donor given?
If we take into account statistics, then in a year up to 20,000 donors can visit one blood transfusion station on average. But the fact is that every year this amount is rapidly decreasing, as young people are not in a hurry to donate blood, and people of age have limitations. This problem worries any state, therefore, in order to attract as many donors as possible, the title "honorary donor" was coined. How many times to donate blood is a question that most often occurs among young people who want to earn this title. Of course, there are limitations in this direction, since plasma can be donated no more than twice a month. Honorary donors are the people who do this the most.
Today, the problem of blood shortage is being solved in another way, scientists are trying to find a blood substitute, but so far there is not a single means by which this could be done, so donation is the only way to save the lives of many people.
How blood transfusion is protected by law
To attract a large number of donors, they are trying to create all the conditions that are clearly spelled out in the laws of different states. Consider the main ones:
- On the day when the donor donates blood, he is exempted from work in the enterprise or in another area of his activity, while wages remain.
- In order for the donor to recover, he is given an additional day off after donating blood.
- Blood donation is necessarily confirmed by certificates, on the basis of which wages for a missed day are calculated.
Regardless of how much blood donors donate, they are all protected by law.
What benefits can an honorary donor count on?
If a person donates blood in the amount of 40 maximum doses, then he automatically becomes an honorary donor. For honorary donors have their own benefits:
- Such people are entitled to free treatment.
- Pharmacies should be given medication at a 50% discount.
- The history of blood transfusion indicates that many such donors are still given free vouchers for rehabilitation in sanatoriums.
It is worth considering that blood donation does not take much time, it is enough to spend only 15 minutes at least once a month to save a person’s life.
Donor Responsibilities Before Performing a Donor Function
In order to be able to donate plasma, you must remember that for each person there are rules:
- First of all, a blood transfusion station may require a document from the donor that will confirm his identity, preferably a passport.
- The donor must know about himself all the necessary information, including about infectious diseases in childhood.
- The donor is also obliged to tell about the surgical interventions that he had a year before the donation, even if these surgical interventions were minor.
Where and how can I donate blood?
Even in small towns, blood can be donated to special medical facilities. The history of blood transfusion also includes such cases when doctors had to work in the worst conditions, but at the same time they coped at the highest level. Of course, sampling of individual blood elements will not work in a non-specialized institution, for the simple reason that the help of many other specialists is required. Donating blood is not difficult, just go to the nearest blood transfusion station and take all the necessary tests, after which the plasma will be taken directly, and the person will be able to call himself a donor. Sometimes even mobile blood transfusion stations are created, which is very convenient for people with high employment.
How to prepare for blood donation?
To donate blood, it is not at all necessary to prepare for this in a special way. But still doctors recommend adhering to some rules:
- It is not recommended to donate blood if you have recently had a tattoo tattoo.
- If there is a problem with cardiovascular dystonia.
- If a person has recently treated his teeth.
- You can not use salty, fried, spicy two days before blood donation. It is not recommended to drink alcohol and consume dairy products.
As you can see, the history of blood transfusion is very rich, it is constantly changing, every year a huge number of new techniques that help save millions of lives of adults and children, so being an honorary donor is not only responsible, but also important for every person.