"Blood Products and Transfusion" has been updated on the MICU faqs website...

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Hi all - our article on blood transfusions, products, and the like has bee updated on the MICU faqs website, at http://www.icufaqs.org - let us know what you think? As usual, free of access, and all comments are welcome. Also dog pictures, we like those :)

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Specializes in MICU.

About RhoGam:

As an Rh- mom, this was my experience:

I'm type and crossed @ my first prenatal visit. I'm -. Since this is my first pregnancy, even if the fetus is Rh+, I haven't been "exposed" to his blood yet (such as during delivery or abortion), so it's cool. The concern is that if I'm exposed to his blood @ some point, and he's Rh +, that I would develop antibodies to any future Rh+ fetuses, thus consequent pregnancies would miscarry as my body attacks the "foriegner."

At 28 weeks I'm given my first dose of Rhogam to cover me for delivery. (Of course, it's a shot, ouch.) My son is born, is immediately typed/cross. Of course, onery sucker, he's Rh+ so now I get a wonderful 2nd shot just in case our blood mixed and I was losing the effectiveness of the 1st one. (Thanks kid, I'm going to remember that in my will.)

A few years later, I lose a baby (for other reasons) and because of the risk of my (potentially) Rh+ child's blood mixing with my own, I'm d/c from the ED after another Rhogam shot so I don't develop antibodies.

That may be too much info, just wanted to add to the blood stuff. Thanks!

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