Short overview on Blood Type compatiability

1. SPECIALS 220
Blood Type Compatiability
Instructor:
Christopher Bayonet, NRAEMT
Collections Supervisor - RMBC

2. Compatibility
“A state in which two things are able to exist or occur
together without problems or conflict.”
Remember: Blood can only go to certain people
from certain others. If someone receives blood
which is not compatible with them, it can be a
life threatening emergency.

3. Blood Groups
 Kell, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd, Diego, Colton, Junior, and
Augustine are not just “trendy names” for people.
 Nor are Lutheran and Indian just “demographical”
information.
 And let’s not think that Scianna, Dombrock,
Landsteiner-Weiner, Gerbich, Cromer, Knops,
Forssman and Langereis are just “uncommon
surnames.
These are just a few of the THIRTY-FIVE Blood Groups
which exists in humanity. Our daily living is made just
focusing on two out of thirty-five.

4. ABO: A, B, AB & O
The ABO Group is the main one which we
concern ourselves with. It is based on what
antigens we possess: A, B, Both or Neither.
The ABO group comes into play with both Red
Cells and Plasma – and can effect what type of
products we draw (or if someone is compatible
with another).
The ABO Group was discovered in 1900 by an
Austrian Physician, Karl Landsteiner.

5. How does this ABO thing work?
We have all be told O is the Universal Red Cell
Donor and that AB is the Universal Plasma Donor.
How does that work?
In short it’s sort of a “seesaw” effect – For each
Antigen (either A and/or B) the person will have the
opposite Antibody.
So if you have Type A Blood you would have B
Antibodies (and vice versa). Type O Blood has no
Antigens, but both Antibodies. Type AB Blood has
both Antigens and no Antibodies.

6. Antibodies vs Antigens?
What is all this Antibody and Antigen stuff?
What does it mean? Aren’t Antibodies what I get
after I have a cold?
Antibody: An immunoglobulin, a specialized immune protein, produced
because of the introduction of an antigen into the body.
Antigen: Any substance that causes an immune system to produce antibodies
against it.
In short, anything which you have been
exposed to that is an “foreign” body to your
system you develop an Antibody for.

7. Brand A-B-O Water
Picture that you have four glasses of water. One of those
glasses is clear, one red, another blue and the remaining
one is purple.
Type O Type A Type B Type AB
Remembering that Purple is equal parts Red and Blue;
which glasses can be moved to another without
significantly changing its color?

8. Monkeying around with
The Rh Factor
So if ABO is the most common group, what is the
second most common? That would be the Rhesus
(or Rh) Group; and Karl Landsteiner from the ABO
group makes appearance again with this discovery
as well.
Discovered in 1937 by Karl Landsteiner along with
Alexander S. Wiener. They believed it to be a similar
antigen found in rhesus monkey red blood cells.
It is not identical to the rhesus monkey factor; but by
then, "Rhesus Group" and like terms were already in
widespread, worldwide use

9. What is an “Rh Factor”?
Pretty much there is either Positive or Negative with
Rh Factor; also known as Rh(D). Rh Factor’s are
specifically for the Red Cell Products.
How does this work?
If someone is Positive for the Rh Factor their blood
can only go to another Positive, but a Negative Rh
Factor, can go to anyone.

10. Blood Type Compatibility
So when we put this all together (ABO and Rhesus
Groups) we are left with the following compatibility of
blood.
Blood
Compatibility
Recipient
O+ O- A+ A- B+ B- AB+ AB-
Donor
O+    
O-        
A+  
A-    
B+   
B-    
AB+ 
AB-  
UniversalPlasmaDonor
U n i v e r s a l R e d C e l l D o n o r