Pregnant women may sometimes need blood transfusions – and new guidelines today set out how British doctors are expected to reduce the risks linked to these.
Haemorrhage remains one of the main causes of maternal death in the UK – and more than 4,000 pregnant women a year may suffer from this problem.
Women with severe anaemia may also be deemed to need transfusions.
The new guidelines call for hospitals to have protocols to ensure multi-disciplinary teams, including haematologists and anaesthetists, are involved as soon as possible.
They also call for preparations to be made at an early stage by screening women for anaemia as early as possible and by checking blood group and antibody status early also.
The guidelines say iron pills should be used to tackle iron deficiency to reduce the risk of needing a blood transfusion in labour.
Experts at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists warn that blood transfusion carries risks, including those of infection and transmission of prion diseases – together with potential shortages of blood and the costs of the procedure.
Dr Manish Gupta, who led the guideline committee, said: “Blood transfusion may be a life-saving procedure, but it is not without risk. Rarely, recipients may develop transfusion-transmitted infection or have a negative reaction to it. The major risk, however, is of a patient receiving an incorrect blood component.
“Strict adherence to correct sampling, cross-match and administration procedures is therefore of paramount importance, even in an emergency.”
Dr Laura Green, a consultant in transfusion medicine, said: “All maternity units should have a clear local protocol on how to manage major obstetric haemorrhage, which should include early involvement of a consultant obstetrician, anaesthetist, haematologist and the blood bank.
“The protocol should be updated annually and practised in ‘fire drills’ to inform and train relevant personnel.”
Leave a Reply