@nursewellversed: Your patient is having a blood transfusion reaction, what do you do? In our last video, many of you gave amazing answers of what you’d do in this situation—let’s go over them! ⭐️ Signs and Symptoms First, it’s important to be able to identify that your patient is HAVING a reaction. This could manifest as: * Fever * Chills * Shortness of breath * Hypotension * Rash * Itching 🩸 Blood Transfusion Reaction Steps If you notice your patient exhibiting any of these symptoms… 1️⃣STOP the transfusion immediately! 2️⃣Change IV tubing and run normal saline wide open. Do NOT use the same blood tubing as this will flush more of the blood into the patient! 3️⃣Call the provider and blood bank and follow your facility protocol. 🩸 This usually involves: * Monitoring vital signs * Administering emergency medications as ordered * Sending the blood product and tubing to the lab for analysis * Obtaining specimens as needed 🩸 Do NOT Leave the Patient! * Reassess and monitor vital signs closely * Provide emotional support and reassurance ⚠️ Safety Practices To avoid transfusion reactions, facilities usually have safety practices in place such as: * Requiring updating ABO confirmation * Crossmatching * Starting blood within 30 minutes of arrival * Transfusing within 4 hours * Pre-medications * Staying with the patient for the first 15 minutes * Two-nurse sign off * Advising to order blood only when medically necessary (usually if Hgb <7) What other processes are in place that you’d add to this list? Let us know in the comments below! #nursingstudent #nursingschool #nclexreview #nursingmajor #futurenurse
