Blood is made up of two main elements: (1) plasma, which is largely water and proteins, and (2) the solid components of blood—red blood cells, white cells, and platelets (important for forming clots). If a patient has lost a lot of blood, he or she may receive a transfusion of “whole blood,” which includes red blood cells and plasma. However, sometimes the patient needs only an increase in the volume of liquid in the bloodstream, in which case plasma alone may be substituted. A person must be tested for blood type before receiving certain kinds of transfusions because of differences in the ways that red blood cells react to one another. Under what conditions would such testing be necessary? A. for whole blood transfusions only B. for plasma transfusions only C. for both whole blood transfusions and plasma transfusions D. if the patient has not lost any blood

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Components of Blood

Blood is made up of two main elements: plasma, which is mostly water and proteins, and solid components, such as red blood cells, white cells, and platelets. In the event of blood loss, a patient may receive a transfusion of either whole blood or plasma.

02

Identify Transfusion Types

When a patient undergoes a transfusion, they may receive either whole blood or plasma. Whole blood transfusions include both red blood cells and plasma, while plasma transfusions contain only plasma.

03

Recognize the Importance of Blood Type Testing

Blood type testing is essential for certain kinds of transfusions due to differences in the ways that red blood cells react to one another. This implies that blood type compatibility is an issue when red blood cells are involved in the transfusion.

04

Relate Blood Type Compatibility to Transfusion Types

Since whole blood transfusions include red blood cells, blood type compatibility is crucial in these cases. On the other hand, plasma transfusions do not involve red blood cells, so they do not require blood type testing.

05

Choose the Correct Option

Based on our understanding of blood type compatibility and transfusion types, we can conclude that blood type testing is necessary under the first condition, which is option A: for whole blood transfusions only.

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