Abstract
Transfusion therapy is an essential component of supportive treatment for patients with cancer, hema-tologic disorders and those requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Children with malignancy or who are undergoing immunosuppressive treatment often experience myelosuppression that requires the necessary, and sometimes emergent, transfusion of blood and blood products. The United States' blood supply is safer now than ever, but transfusions still carry potential risks to the receipient. These risks include ABO incompatibility due to human error, infectious complications (hepatitis B and C, syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus) and transfusion reactions (febrile and hemolytic). Blood and blood components should be administered judiciously due to cost and supply chain issues. The decision to order blood products must be based on careful assessment of clinical and laboratory indications that a transfusion is necessary. As well, the patient and family need to be well educated about the risks and benefits of transfusions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abetz L, Baladi JF, Jones P, Rofail D (2006) The impact of iron overload and its treatment on quality of life: results from a literature review. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 4:73
American Association of Blood Banks, American Red Cross and Community Blood Center (July 2002). Circular of Information for the use of human blood and blood components. Arlington, VA: retrieved on 10 April 2009 fromhttp://www.aabb.org/Documents/About_Blood/Circulars_of_Information/coi0702.pdf
Anglebeck JH, Ortolano GA (2005) Universal leukocyte reduction. Journal of Infusion Nursing 28(4):273–281.
Barnard DR, Rogers ZR (2004) Blood component therapy. In: Altman AJ (ed) Supportive care of children with cancer: currenttherapy and guidelines from the Children's Oncology Group. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
Brunetti M, Cohen J (2005) In: Robertson J, Shillkofski N (eds) The harriet lane handbook: a manual for pediatric house officers, 17th edn. Mosby, St Louis, pp. 335–361
Conte TM (2008) Blood product support. In: Kline NE (ed) Essentials of pediatric hematology/oncology nursing, 3rd edn. Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Glenview, IL, pp 178–182
Domen RE (2007) Blood product transfusions in the hema-tological malignancies. In: Sekeres MA, Kalaycio ME, Bolwell BJ (eds) Clinical malignant hematology. McGraw Hill, New York, NY, pp 1127–1138
Hastings CA, Lubin B, Feusner J (2006) Hematologic supportive care and hematopoietic cytokines. In: Pizzo P (ed) Principles and practice of pediatric oncology, 5th edn. Lippincott-Williams & Wilkins Publishers, Philadelphia, pp 1231–1286
Joyce JA (2007) Transfusion-related acute lung injury. American Ass ociat ion of Nurse Anesthet ists 75(6):437–444
Kirmse J (2009) The nurse's role in administration of intravenous immunoglobulin. Home Healthcare Nurse 27(22): 104–111
Lanzkowsky, P (2007). Supportive care and management of oncologic emergencies. In: Manual of pediatric hematology and oncology, 4th edn. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 7 17–726
Lexi-Comp ONLINE (2009). Deferoxamine. Retrieved 16 April 2009 fromhttp://online.lexi.com/crlsql/servlet/crlonline
Lockwood WB (2009) Transfusion medicine today: mission accomplished? Medical Laboratory Observer 41:12–16
Miller Y, Bachowski G, Benjamin R, Eklund DK, Hibbard AJ, Lightfoot T et al (2007) Practice guidelines for blood transfusion: a compilation from recent peer-reviewed literature, 2nd edn. American Red Cross, Washington, DC
Navid F, Santana VM (2006) Hematological supportive care. In: Ching-Hon Pui (ed) Childhood leukemias, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 829–849
Slichter SJ (2007) Evidence-based platelet transfusion guidelines. Hematology 2007:172–178
Strauss RG (2007) Red blood cell transfusion and erythropoi-etin therapy. In: Kliegman RM, Jenson HB, Behrman RE, Stanton BF (eds) Nelson textbook of pediatrics, 18th edn. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 2055–2060
Wolfe J, Sourkes B (2006) Palliative care for the child with advanced cancer. In: Pizzo P (ed) Principles and practice of pediatric oncology, 5th edn. Lippincott-Williams & Wilkins Publishers, Philadelphia, pp 1531–1555
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nixon, C. (2010). Blood Transfusion Therapy. In: Tomlinson, D., Kline, N.E. (eds) Pediatric Oncology Nursing. Pediatric Oncology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87984-8_31
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87984-8_31
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-87983-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-87984-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)