Blood transfusion

How it is used

Nurses check the patient's identity and the blood unit very carefully, usually with two people at the bedside, take baseline observations and watch closely for a reaction, especially in the first 15 minutes. You 'start', 'give', 'run' or 'stop' a transfusion; a patient 'is having a unit of blood'.

Example sentences

1. She's having a blood transfusion this afternoon: two units of red cells.

2. The blood transfusion was stopped when he developed a rash and a high temperature.

Common collocations

• give a blood transfusion
• transfusion reaction
• a unit of blood
• start the transfusion

Related terms

• IVShort for intravenous: into a vein. As a noun it also means the line or drip that puts fluid or medicine straight into a vein.
• cannulaA thin plastic tube put into a vein, usually in the hand or arm, so that fluids, medicines or blood can be given through it.
• baselineA patient's usual or starting state, such as their normal blood pressure, mobility or mental state, used for comparing later changes.
• observationsIn nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.
• five rightsA checklist nurses use before giving any medicine: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route and the right time.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• blood transfusion · Medicine

More terms: IV Therapy and Fluids

• drip
• dehydrated
• infusion pump
• fluid balance
• flush
• infiltration