Rho (D) immune globulin, better known by its brand name Rhogam, is made from human blood and provided in a sterile solution. Rhogam is used most commonly to prevent an immune response to Rh positive blood in individuals that have an Rh negative blood type. In addition to the above use, Rhogam is also used to treat immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP. Rhogam is a relatively new drug and its beginnings can be traced back to one donor in Australia.
Development of Rho (D) Immune Globulin
Firstly, it is important to discuss the beginnings of this drug as it has an amazing story that goes with it. In 1950, an Australian teenager was admitted to a hospital needing to have major thoracic surgery. As a result of this surgery the teenager, James Harrison, required 13 liters of blood. As he lay in a hospital bed for three months Mr. Harrison realized that the donors of the blood that he needed, saved his life and swore to his father that he would start donating blood himself as soon as he could do so legally at the age of 18. In 1954 James Harrison, staying true to his word, started giving his donations of blood. Within just a few donations however, it was realized that his blood contained an extremely rare antibody called Rho (D) immune globulin. Almost immediately Mr. Harrison started helping in the experimentation and development of a vaccine that would be later become known by various trade names such as Sky Med, Rhogam, Rhesonativ, Micrhogam, and Rhesugam and others. The first injection of Rho (D) immune globulin was given in 1968. The donations of Mr. James Harrison are attributed in saving the lives of over 2 million newborns, and the research was so important that in the 1950’s, his life was insured for 1 million doll...
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...ermined to be mature enough to go ahead with delivery. Babies that are born with erythroblastosis are closely monitored in the case that they may need exchange transfusion (Dulay, 2014).
Great care should be taken in assessing the possibility of Rh incompatibility. This is an easily prevented condition to address before it becomes a problem for the baby when it is exposed to Rh-positive antibodies that can destroy the red blood cells (PubMed Staff, 2013). When the red blood cells are attacked as foreign, the baby can experience a range of health issues that can range from jaundice to brain damage, and even death (Dulay, 2014). An Rh-negative female should be tested and receive the Rho(D) immune globulin injection to ensure protection against the production of anti-Rh0(D) antibodies as a conservative measure to ensure that Rh disease is not of concern.
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.
was approved in 1982 and in another form, that is to be taken orally rather than
This was an inexpensive way to forget about the terror and traumatizing events going on. Soon after the news was brought back to the United States that the soldiers were consuming and abusing these drugs, the military suppressed the drugs. After the ban of the drugs, soldiers would then try to find another way to discard the stress and forget about what went on on battlefield for a little while. After the soldiers made their homecoming, many had problems adjusting without these drugs. This then put a damper on the stable lifestyle they once had, along with their relationships with others. With some struggling to adjust back to society back home, some continued to do drugs to cope with the pain. This led to many soldiers realizing they had symptoms of PTSD, as doing the drugs didn’t take away the frustration and agony from the war (Hochgesang). A high percentage of the veterans that had PTSD, were abusers of the drugs while in Vietnam and back
Credibility material: Its intake results in adverse medical conditions that are further exalted by its addiction properties that ensure a continued intake of the substance. The drug can be abused through multiple means and is medically recorded to produce short-term joy, energy , and other effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. This ultimately results in numerous psychiatric and social problems; factors that played a major role in its illegalization after multiple and widespread cases of its effects were reported in the country during the 1900s. In addition to this, the drug results in immediate euphoric effect, a property which the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2010) attributes to be the root cause for its increased po...
this drug as a "schedule I" drug that means that it has high potential for abuse.
According to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, “In the United States, nearly thirteen percent of babies are born preterm, and many of these babies also have a low birth weight.” The baby may be put into the NICU for varies reasons. However, the most common reason that a child is put into the NICU is because he or she is premature. Premature means the baby was born before the 36 weeks. It is never good for a baby to be born early, as this could mean that the baby is not fully developed. There are other factors as to why a child may need to be put into the NICU after birth. For instance, birth defects can be the cause of why a baby is put into the NICU. A baby may be born with an infection such as herpes or chlamydia which can damage the newborns immune system at such a young age. Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia can also cause an infant to be put into the NICU. Some maternal factors of why a baby may be put into the NICU is if the mother is “younger than 16 or older than 40.” If the parent may be an alcoholic or expose the baby to drugs, this can put the child into NICU care. If the parent has an STD or sexual transmitted disease, the baby is most likely going to have to be put into the intensive care unit. “Twins, triplets, and other multiples are often admitted into the NICU, as they tend to be born earlier and s...
18. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Maternal serum screening. ACOG Educational Bulletin, 1996; no. 228.
1914 was a change for these drugs it was like overnight these drugs become illegal. The reason for this change in 1914 wa... ... middle of paper ... ... ment. When they modified the treatment they hinder the ability to identify the effective parts of this treatment.
Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is generally defined as a blood loss of more than 500 mL after a vaginal birth, more than 1000 mL after a cesarean section, and a ten percent decrease in hematocrit levels from pre to post birth measurements (Ward & Hisley, 2011). An early hemorrhage occurs within 24 hours of birth, with the greatest risk in the first four hours. A late hemorrhage happens after 24 hours of birth but less than six weeks after birth. Uterine atony—failure for the uterine myometrium to contract—is the most common postpartum hemorrhage (Venes, Ed.).(2013). Other etiologies include lower genital tract lacerations, uterine inversion, retained products of conception and bleeding disorders (Kawamura, Kondoh, Hamanishi, Kawasaki, & Fujita, (2014).
A simple experiment can be performed to see what animal and species the blood from the scene is from. In order to determine if the blood was from a human or a rabbit, blood from both species needs to be obtained. Depending on if you are able to obtain a sample of blood from the human who was shot, it would make this experiment much more accurate. Once the blood from these species is collected antibodies need to be eluted from each sample. The antibodies are eluted already from the unknown sample of blood that was collected on the scene, so the next step can take place.
II. Imagine your little nephew or niece baby was born with a heart defect and required daily transfusions of blood in order to have a chance at survival.
...f another patient, two year old Monthati Makofane. The child was “frightened” and “overwhelmed” , however, his parents were thrilled at the idea that their son would grow up and have what they deemed a “normal life”, submitting to the ideas of the medical perspective.
Thus the reason fetal monitoring is important in the case of
Blood typing is a blood group of substances that is present on the surface of red blood cells. The substances are important reason being it contains specific amino acids and carbohydrates which are antigenic. In general there are about 29 different substances on the surface of red blood cells. Taking a look at individual blood type with many different aspects of blood group antigens. Usually only the ABO blood group together with the rhesus D antigen factor is used to describe blood typing. If a recipient were to be exposed to blood group antigen that’s not recognised by the immune system, the recipient, however becomes sensitised and the process of antibodies is produced by the immune system to bind to the specific blood group antigen. During this process a memory is formed by the immune system against this particular antigen as to a second exposure that could arise. The antibodies that are produced binds to the antigens on the surface of the red blood cells, thus leading to the destruction of cells and organ failure. Blood typing is extremely important in identifying appropriate blood for transfusion and tissue organ transplantation.
There are several different kinds of adverse reactions associated with blood transfusions. While the 2011 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey from the HHS showed a 0.24% adverse reaction rate from blood transfusions, the participation in the hemovigilance network is low and so they expect the rate of adverse reactions is higher than what they are able to report (NBCUS, 2011). The CDC has established a hemovigilance module to track adverse reactions to blood transfusions for the purpose of understanding the rea...