Dr. Janet's Round-Table Straight Talk about Medical Issues 2010-12-08T00:23:05-06:00 Janet http://www.healthcodex.com/janet/index.php cross@healthcodex.com tag:drjanetsanswers,2010:DrJanetsRound-Table Pivot Copyright (c) 2010, Authors of Dr. Janet's Round-Table Help from a Hospitalist 2010-10-24T11:01:00-06:00 2010-10-24T10:58:00-06:00 tag:drjanetsanswers,2010:DrJanetsRound-Table.4 Janet appeared on Denise Brown's Table Talk podcast in an episode entitled Help from a Hospitalist Table Talk podcast in an episode entitled Help from a Hospitalist

I had a coffee with Denise Brown before the podcast. She runs a website, caregiving.com, that gives support and advice for caregivers. She talked with Janet about how to get the most out of your interactions with a hospitalist.

If you and your caree is used to working with a family practitioner who is familiar with their condition, a trip to the hospital can be disrupting. A hospitalist is stationed at the hospital and has to fill in. Listen to the postcast for more.

]]> cross How Safe Are Blood Transfusions? 2010-03-04T18:14:00-06:00 2010-02-24T22:51:00-06:00 tag:drjanetsanswers,2010:DrJanetsRound-Table.3 What Are the Risks of Blood Transfusions Today?

Blood transfusions today are the safest they have ever been. They save many lives every year. Serious adverse reactions are rare, but do occur. Therefore, the risk of every blood transfusion has to be weighed against the potential benefit.

These are some types of transfusion reactions:

  • Fever-type reactions occur during 1% of blood transfusions but do not cause any serious harm or long-term damage.
  • Rarely, allergic reactions occur. Symptoms can be mild or severe and include anxiety, nausea, shortness of breath, fever, chills, clammy skin and a drop in blood pressure.
  • Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction which can be life-threatening. It can occur during a blood transfusion or several hours afterwards. Risk: 1 in 30,000- 50,000 transfusions.
  • Acute hemolysis occurs when the person receiving blood develops an immune reaction, causing rupture of the donated red cells. Symptoms of hemolysis include chills, fever, backache, chest pain, shortness of breath and shock. The most severe reactions can lead to renal failure. Risk: 1 in 12,000-33,000 transfusions.
  • Acute lung injury (TRALI) is a serious reaction which results in severe shortness of breath, fever and a drop in blood pressure. Fortunately, over 90% of people fully recover from acute lung injury within a few days. Risk: 1 in 2000 transfusions.


These are the risks of viral infection from a blood transfusion, according to the National Institutes of Health:
  • Hepatitis B risk: 1 in 205,000 blood transfusions
  • Hepatitis C risk: 1 in 2 million blood transfusions
  • HIV risk: 1 in 2 million blood transfusions


This is what the American Red Cross and your hospital do to reduce the risks from blood transfusion:
  • Blood donors are carefully screened and questioned regarding overall health and risk factors for disease.
  • Blood banks perform multiple tests on each unit of blood to screen for hepatitis (B & C), HIV, the West Nile virus, syphilis, and HTLV (the Human T-lymphotropic virus). The nucleic acid test (NAT) is a new test which as been very successful in detecting HIV and hepatitis C, so that transmission of infection is extremely rare.
  • To avoid reactions, the hospital lab carefully tests for compatibility between the donated blood and the patient who will receive the transfusion.
  • Before transfusion, nurses perform multiple checks to make sure the right blood is given to the right patient.
  • Nurses are trained to detect blood transfusion reactions and quickly stop a transfusion if one is occurring.


This website from the American Red Cross has more information. ]]> huber