What happens if you transfuse the wrong blood type in someone?

Question

I KNOW IT WONT WORK BUT

What physically would happen to this persons body, how would the heart react to it?

So basically youre saying that the arteries will clog shut and the person will die of cardiac arrest?

Answer 1

Then the person will probley die.

Answer 2

Very good question - and since my fields are genetics and immunology right up my alley!

First of all, I should explain antigens and antibodies, and how the whole thing works.

Antigens are small molecules (usually protein but sometimes sugars or glycoproteins) that trigger an immune response. Antibodies are immunoglobulins, substances releases by B cells in the immune response which recognise an antigen and bind to it, triggering a response. Most antibody-antigen reactions are HIGHLY specific - that is only one antibody will recognise one antigen. An antibody is generally named after the antigen it recognises, so if substance X is an antigen, the antibody to it will be "anti-X".

A and B antigens are unusual in that the body makes antibodies to these without ever necessarily having been exposed to the blood antigen - rather it seems that at some point in the diet of a human they come across similar antigens from their food. It's one of the few cases where more than on antigen is recognised by an antibody.

The very basis of blood grouping has to do with antigens carried on the surface of your red blood cells (and certain other cells too). There are too basic antigen types - A and B. Immediately I here some people yell "What about O?". If you are O type you have NO antigens on the surface of your red blood cells (RBCs).

Here is where it confuses people a little - if you carry antigen A, you make antibodies to B. If you have antigen B, you make antibodies to A. And ifyou are "O" type (you have no antigens yourself) then you make antibodies to both the A and B antigens. If you are lucky enough to carry both the A and the B antigens, you make no blood antigen antibodies at all! It's sort of counter intuitive, people think if they are AB they should have A and B antibodies, and O should make none..... but if you were AB and made anti-A and anti-B, your immune system would attack your own red blood cells.

The next most important blood grouping is the rhesus system - Rh - and Rh +. Rh is just another antigen. There other blood groups, such as the Duffy blood group, but the A/B/O and Rh system is the one that is really important to blood transfusions.

Like the A/B/O system, if you are Rh negative (you have no Rh antigen) you DO make Rh antibodies, if you are Rh positive you make no Rh antibodies.

Okay, so if you transfuse someone with blood that is the same blood type as their own, several different things are possible. If you transfuse a patient who is AB+ with any other blood type, it is not dangerous to the patient. Why? Becuase the AB+ individual makes no blood antigen antibodies at all! Their immune system will not recognise the transfused blood cells as foreign, and will not attack them. AB+ individuals are therefore "universal recipients".

If you transfuse any patient with O negative blood, there will be no reaction, becuase although the patient may make antibodies to A, B or Rh, the O- blood cells have no antigens. This is why O- individuals are called "universal donors".

Now, someone who is A+ can receive O or A blood, but A- can only receive O- or A-, likewise B+ can receive O or B, but B- can only receive O- or B-.

When a patients blood type is unknown doctors must use O- blood. If there is mistyping, nasty cross reactions can occur where a patients antibodies attack the donor RBCs. Haemagluttination occurs, where the blood cells can clot. Any blood clot in the body has the potential to travel to the heart and cause a HEART ATTACK. Arteries don't "clog shut" but you would end up with multiple blood clots in arteries and veins which will severely slow down your circulation. A clot can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism, to the brain and cause a stroke, or to the heart and cause a cardiac embolism (heart attack).

What most people fail to realise is that although in an emergency, O- blood can be used for anyone, it is NOT ideal. Wherever possible a patients transfusion should be perfectly matched to their own blood type. This is becuase the donor blood can contain antibodies too! O blood group has no antigens, but plenty of antibodies, so you can see a milder cross reaction in some cases.

In an emergency, you can forgo Rh typing but it is not a good idea in women of child bearing age who might have children later. Rh antigens are not "seen" by the immune system of an Rh- person until blood exposure - unlike AB antigens you can't stimulate them from exposure to a similar antigen - and Rh negative women who make anti-Rh are in danger of a child with Rhesus incompatability if their child is Rh+. It's best not to expose an Rh- person to Rh unless absolutely necessary. The first exposure to Rh antigens in an Rh- person will stimulate the immune system but the effect on the body will be very mild. Subsequent exposures strengthen the response and the effects can become quite severe. Rh- women can have miscarriages if they carry an Rh+ child, children who are born are often severely ill.

Answer 3

Your kidney will no longer function, your blood will not flow to the heart, there will be systems overload because your antigens will be reacting with the donors antibodies and vice versa, and then when all organs are dysfunctional, of course - the person dies.

Answer 4

Blood would coagulate in the blood vessels and stop flowing... so the heart(and other parts of the body) would stop receiving oxygen and result in death.
(Blood carries among lots of other things oxygen which is needed by the body to release energy from food)

Answer 5

Yes, in simple terms your blood vessels will turn into one huge blood clot and your circulation will stop. You die.

Answer 6

It mainly causes an immune system reaction which CAN, but doesn't have to lead to death.
See this:
http://www.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/tc4156.asp?navbar=tc4112

Answer 7

the platelets just clog and the person kinda dies due to this

Answer 8

the platelets in the blood will clump together forming clots(agglutination)