Just received my blood donor letter to tell me its time again and it got me thinking about post hospital world. What would we do about blood or would it just be a case if you were hurt badly enough to need a blood transfusion then your going to die.
Some people walk about not even knowing their own blood type, they could be a rare blood type and no be able to find a match in an emergency. As im O neg i can only receive O neg but everybody else in the world can receive my blood as im a universal donor. Can anybody here perform a blood transfusion or have the proper medical kit for it. Would it be wise to store a unit of our own blood in the fridge as then we would truly be ready for a medical emergency or am i on the edge of crazy here.
As i want to but im a little afraid of the prospect of taking my own blood
pseudonym wrote:Blood has a short shelf life IIRC - 30 days give or take.
I was taught to insert cannulas on a Medics course 20 years ago, could do it again if TSHTF.
30 days thats all i assumed alot longer so if no one donated blood for a month we would run out even if no one used any. Guess i can't store any then. Is there any alternatives for restoring blood with out using blood
I would guess a serious injury shtf, you would be pretty much screwed. I have a customer who is a paramedic. We asked him what our chances were of survival in case of heart attack. With him there and no kit, he said our chances were VERY slim! Without him no chance at all!
Makes one realise what a good system we live in( even if there are faults)
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.
Robert Frost.
Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.
Bear86 wrote: Would it be wise to store a unit of our own blood in the fridge as then we would truly be ready for a medical emergency or am i on the edge of crazy here.
Just how were some of you guys thinking of performing blood typing prior to any attempted transfusion post STHF on someone you do not know and have no idea of their medical history? Scary stuff!
It may never happen. Best to be prepared just in case.
Well I think he was asking if there was anyone that could and if they had the gear to do it. To be clear, I cant and dont
Transfusion itself is not particularly technical but as icrcc pointed out blood typing is. An early form of crossmatching was just mixing two samples together and watching what happened, bit hit and miss though
So post apocalypse, if you knew both donor and receivers blood types were a match you could give it a shot. If they're in such a bad way they need a transfusion, its probably not gonna make it any worse. TBH though, I really wouldn't worry about it. Just stock for what you can treat and hope you never need any of it!
TomW wrote:Well I think he was asking if there was anyone that could and if they had the gear to do it. To be clear, I cant and dont
Transfusion itself is not particularly technical but as icrcc pointed out blood typing is. An early form of crossmatching was just mixing two samples together and watching what happened, bit hit and miss though
So post apocalypse, if you knew both donor and receivers blood types were a match you could give it a shot. If they're in such a bad way they need a transfusion, its probably not gonna make it any worse. TBH though, I really wouldn't worry about it. Just stock for what you can treat and hope you never need any of it!
If incompatible blood is given in a transfusion, the donor cells are treated as if they were foreign invaders, and the patient's immune system attacks them accordingly. Not only is the blood transfusion rendered useless, but a potentially massive activation of the immune system and clotting system can cause shock, kidney failure, circulatory collapse, and death.
It might be just a top up needed after a bad cut, but I think it might be better to leave patient rested and well hydrated and let them build up again in their own time.?
Quite right 12mp82. I didn't go into the technicalities or modern knowledge as I don't know enough about it or see the need to know, bar curiousity lol.
As for a top up after a bad cut... It's a helluva bad cut that modern medicine would give a top up after lol
As a ex combat medic , drop the whole blood thing , if its that bad then sorry you'll die, would be better going down the iv fluid route , sodium chloride , glucose , hartmans and iv giving sets and canula , if you'be never done this before its not for you but having the kit might save you if someone does , the same with a Tourniquet , if you need it your dead unless you can get to a A&E within the hour but again having one might save your life , negative yes but realistic
Jamie
Be Prepared.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
i assumed alot longer so if no one donated blood for a month we would run out even if no one used any. Guess i can't store any then. Is there any alternatives for restoring blood with out using blood 
