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TRANSPLANTS
& TRANSFUSION
BLOOD
TRANSFUSION
ANd thE LiFESAviNG
MESSAGE OF dONAtiON
By Rachel Beddard, MD and Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul, MD
BioBridge Global
If you ask a group of people what the most common transplant is, blood and tissue for
the answers you receive will range from kidney to bone marrow trans- transplant. Through our
plants. In reality, red blood cell transfusions characterized by the non-profit subsidiaries —
transfer of red cells from a donor to a recipient represent the most the South Texas Blood
common type of transplant. & Tissue Center, Gen-
Cure and QualTex —
Across the country, tens of millions of these transplants occur every our organization recovers,
year. The majority of these transplants are uneventful. Although rare, processes, tests and matches
“rejection” can occur in the form of acute or delayed hemolytic trans- patients and delivers these pre-
fusion reactions leading to destruction of the red cells. One of most cious components to be trans-
dreaded complications of transfusion is an ABO incompatible red planted into those in need around the
cell transfusion. Mostly due to clerical error, the transfusion of A world.
blood type red cells into an O blood type patient can lead to activa-
tion of complement and ensuing intravascular hemolysis. Our best-known subsidiary, the South Texas Blood & Tissue Cen-
ter, collects whole blood, plasma and platelets for victims of trauma,
Less dramatic are the development of HLA (human leukocyte as well as patients undergoing treatment for cancer and those under-
antigen) antibodies from frequent platelet transfusions that can lead going surgery. In 2015, more than 100,000 donors walked through
to platelet destruction or lack of the “platelet bump” on a complete our doors at South Texas to donate and help save hundreds of lives.
blood count or CBC. In addition to rejection, transfusion associated
microchimerism has recently been identified to occur in transfused GenCure works with the Donate Life organization to register Tex-
recipients. Although poorly understood, transfusion-associated mi- ans for posthumous organ and tissue donation. The GenCure Tissue
crochimerism is the presence of a donor population of white cells Center recovers musculoskeletal, cardiovascular tissue as well as ten-
long after transfusion. don and skin, which are then processed for transplant. The tissues
are made available to doctors across South Texas, the nation and
Although some transfusions are able to leave a long-lasting foot- world. The center processes more than 100 types of tissue compo-
print, the majority of transfused cells have a short life span of only nents, from transplants for burn victims to those suffering from bone
three months. We are grateful to the donors who come in to donate. trauma and spinal dysfunction, to restorative implant dentistry, to a
multitude of other orthopedic procedures.
There are plenty of opportunities to donate at BioBriodge Global.
This month, we especially celebrate those donors who give whole With the tissue donations, we do not forget the families of our
blood, platelets, peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), umbilical cord
12 San Antonio Medicine • April 2016
