Exchange Transfusion Case Study

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Exchange Transfusion, Newborn

WHAT IS AN EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION?
An exchange transfusion is a procedure that removes your baby 's blood in small amounts and replaces it with donor blood or the yellow-colored liquid part of blood (plasma).

WHAT ARE SOME REASONS WHY MY BABY MIGHT NEED AN EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION?
Your baby may need an exchange transfusion if he or she has:
• Hemolytic disease of the newborn. Hemolytic disease happens when a mother 's disease fighting system (immune system) attacks her baby 's red blood cells. Proteins (antibodies) in the mother’s blood destroy the baby 's red blood cells. Two conditions can cause hemolytic disease:
○ ABO incompatibility. People with an O blood type have antibodies that can attack blood cells in type A or B blood. If a mother 's blood type is O and her baby 's blood type is A or B, her antibodies may destroy the baby 's red blood cells and cause hemolytic disease. …show more content…

An Rh factor is a protein on the surface of red blood cells. Rh incompatibility happens when a mother has Rh-negative blood and her baby has Rh-positive blood. During pregnancy or delivery, blood from the baby can cross into the mother’s bloodstream. If a mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive, the mother’s antibodies can destroy the baby 's red blood cells.
• Jaundice. This is yellowing of the skin and eyes. In a newborn, jaundice is usually caused by a buildup of waste products in the blood due to the breakdown of red blood cells that the baby cannot get rid of fast

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