Can all hospitals stock blood??

[gumacanian]

Some body rather close to me nearly died in child birth because she was bleeding quite badly after the birth.
A nurse ran out and asked us to get some blood ASAP.
When I asked to use a phone I was told I could not use their phone as it was not allowed!!
The hospital was in Lopez Quezon and the blood bank was in Lucena......About 2 hours away and it was 3am.
The whole experiance was a nightmare but the surgeon finaly managed to stop the bleeding.(seemed like an eternity)
Afterwards,I was told that a Philipine law prevented them from stocking blood !! I find this hard to believe.
The surgeon said that he would have had to use plasma instead.
The person that i sent to Lucena arrived with 2 bags of blood at 8.30am!! What an eventful evening!!
Is this kind of thing common place doc?

[Ira]

The Philippines has already adopted a policy of not allowing commercial blood banks to run just a few years back. This does not only hold true for this country, but most countries as well. This is to avoid "professional" donors-- unscrupulous people who sell blood (even if tainted with hepatitis or other diseases) for money. Whatever blood that's going to be transfused will have to come from the relatives/friends of patients. Most tertiary hospitals in Manila often have a few bags of stocked fresh whole blood or packed RBCs for use in cases of emergency, but even then, not all the time. The relatives just replace these bags by donating the same amount afterwards. It might be that the hospital your friend went to is too small to maintain a regular blood bank. But yes, what the hospital people told you in the province was correct and is commonplace.

[gumacanian]

Many Filipinos must lose their lives due to this policy........Right? I mean what's the problem with stocking properly screened blood? The stuff that I bought from Lucena that arrived too late was labelled as tested for H.I.V etc. Somtimes relatives are not suitable donors and in our case,we very nearly had to accept blood from a man who had obviously been drinking,and as far as we knew could have been infected with..whatever. Desperate situations call for desperate measures..(and the nurse was more than willing to take his blood)
Maybe it not financially viable for a provincial hospital to stock blood (even if it was legal) I don`t know about that, but when a woman has 6 to seven pre natal visits and has a history of complications,then I would expect that it is the doctors responsibility to make the proper arrangements for screened blood to be there well in advance.
Im not asking you to defend the health departments policy makers....Hell,you may even agree with me..All im asking for is your VALUED personal opinion on this matter,because you,like all doctors must have to face this dilemma on what must be a regular basis.
Her second child was born in the states with similar complications.....Minus the big drama.
Frankly....Im amazed at the situation

[Ira]

I have personally never encountered patients dying because of lack of supplies in the blood bank, because hospital blood banks in Manila, as I've said, stock up extra blood. Donors need not be the same blood type as the recipient--you only replace the quantity of blood used pint per pint. I personally agree with the international policy banning commercial blood banks from selling blood, especially because of the way unscrupulous people sell their blood here in this country and the way commercial blood banks are not doing a thorough screening with the blood they're selling. I think that the risks for getting "bad blood" far outweighs the advantages of being able to infuse blood into a patient who needs it. The extra hassle of looking for suitable donors is worth the trouble. Of course, the doctor should be able to tell ahead of time in most cases that a patient may need transfusion, and advice the relatives accordingly. When there is a scheduled elective craniotomy, we tell the relatives ahead of time that we need around, say, 4 pints of blood. 100% of the time, the relatives and friends are able to get the blood needed. During stat walk-in cases, we just tell the relatives to replace the quantity of blood used in surgery, since the hospital blood banks I rotate in have stocked blood and are willing to "loan" during emergency cases.

[zimdude]

... well if you guys need blood just lemme know... I have lots to give but I can't just donate it coz it's tainted with psychiatric drugs... and I don't know what the effect would be on the recipient... :|

[f0r5aK3n]

doc, is there a policy in the Phil. as well that if you have a tattoo, you cannot donate blood for a period of 5-7 years??

[Ira]

Yes.

[gumacanian]

Why 5-7 years?

[Ira]

Because by then, if you actually caught any blood-borne disease from an infected tattoo needle, you would have been showing symptoms already. If you're still alive and kicking after 5-7 years, then you're probably okay.

[f0r5aK3n]

doc, how about getting a Hepa B Test after getting a tattoo? How soon should I get one? or do I even need to get one??

[Ira]

It's up to you if you want to get one. If you went to a reputable tattoo artist and trust that he or she has used aseptic techniques, then there is no need to get a hepatitis profile. If you decide to get a hepatitis profile anyway, it would be best to have it done 2 months after the tattoo. Have yourself tested for hepatitis C, and D, too, which are also blood-borne.

[gumacanian]

Because by then, if you actually caught any blood-borne disease from an infected tattoo needle, you would have been showing symptoms already. If you're still alive and kicking after 5-7 years, then you're probably okay.

What is the incubation period for H.I.V or AIDS??

[f0r5aK3n]

doc, thanks... sorry for going off-topic... I shall do that as soon as my Health Insurance kicks in! :)

[Ira]

Originally posted by gumacanian
What is the incubation period for H.I.V or AIDS??


From the initial infection to full-blown AIDS, a mean of 5-10 years. Before the full AIDS manifestations occur, you would be having symptomatic HIV symptoms already.

f0r5aK3n: You're welcome and no problem.