Blood Transfusions and Immune System - Essay Example

There will be an activation of numerous processes that include an excessive activation of the patient’s immune system which in turn will also stimulate processes such as the activation of the coagulation system. This is very dangerous for the patient as they are susceptible to shock, multiple organ failure, and collapse of the circulatory system (Hall et al., 2010). Incompatible blood transfusions ultimately result in death if detoxification therapy is not carried out immediately.

Hence, as illustrated above, the importance of cross-matching can never be understated as this process can lead to the loss of the patient’s life. Cross-matching has improved the survival rate of individuals after blood transfusion as this was a highly dangerous procedure in the past before people knew about the different blood groups. To ensure that there are lesser possibilities of rejection, cross-matching must be carried out before every transfusion.