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Blood transfusions
If you lose a lot of blood or if some blood cells are damaged or there are not enough of them, you may need a blood transfusion. Like all medical treatments, a blood transfusion should only be given if it is essential. Your doctor will balance the risk of you having a blood transfusion against the risk of not having one before a decision is made.
Blood transfusion fact sheet, includes 18 translations
SA Health's BloodSafe program has provided a range of fact sheets to help you understand why you may need a blood transfusion, what you can do to reduce the need for a blood transfusion, as well as what a blood transfusion involves.
Refer to the Information about having a blood transfusion fact sheet (PDF 210KB) for more information.
This fact sheet is also available in the following languages:
- معلومات حول نقل الدم (PDF 260KB) — Arabic
- ေသြးသြင္းျခင္းႏွင့္ပတ္သက္သည့္
အခ်က္အလက္မ်ား (PDF 158KB) — Burmese - 有关输血的信息 (PDF 216KB) — Chinese (simplified)
- Informacije o transfuziji krvi (PDF 92KB) — Croatian
- معلومات درمورد داشنت يک انتقال )يا پيچ کاری( خون (PDF 175KB) — Dari
- Lëk alɔŋ juëkjuëk ë riɛm (PDF 130KB) — Dinka
- Πληροφορίες για την μετάγγιση αίματος (PDF 100KB) — Greek
- ब्लड ट्रांसफ्यूजन (रक्त-आधरन) कररने सम्बन्धी जरनकररधी (PDF 146KB) — Hindi
- Informasi tentang transfusi darah (PDF 91KB) — Indonesian
- Informazioni sulle trasfusioni di sangue (PDF 92KB) — Italian
- ព័ត៌មាៃអំពីការចាក់បញ្ ចូលឈាម៖ (PDF 133KB) — Khmer
- اطالعات در زمینه انجام انتقال خون (PDF 179KB) — Persian
- Informacja o poddaniu się transfuzji krwi (PDF 93KB) — Polish
- ਬਲਡ ਟਰਾਂਸਿਿਊਜਨ ਕਰਾਉਣ ਸੰਬੰਧੀ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ (PDF 252KB) — Punjabi
- Taarifa juu ya kuongezewa damu (PDF 91KB) — Swahili
- இரதத ஏற்றம் செய்துச்கொள்வததப் பற்றிய த்க்வல்்கள (PDF 265KB) — Tamil
- Kan nakli hakkında bilgi (PDF 93KB) — Turkish
- Thông tin về việc nhận truyền máu (PDF 106KB) — Vietnamese
Consent for transfusion
Unless you require a blood transfusion in an emergency situation, you (or a family member) will be asked to give consent. The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's website provides detailed information on giving consent and what it means.
Children and transfusion
A number of resources have been produced to help explain what will happen and why transfusions are needed for children:
- Billy Blood Drop (PDF 1.1MB) – cartoon booklet designed for younger children and explains in simple story format, about the importance of blood in the body and what your child can expect when receiving a blood transfusion.
- Voyages on the Microsub Discovery: Your mission - To explore the far reaches of the body!! (PDF 3.3MB) - comic book designed for older children. It explains the vital role that blood plays in all of our bodies and what happens when you receive a blood transfusion.
- Children receiving a blood transfusion: A parent's guide (PDF 270KB) leaflet on why your child may need a blood transfusion, the possible risks, the different types of transfusion and what to expect.
Iron therapy
Iron therapy may be prescribed by your doctor if your body is low in iron or to increase your body’s iron reserves such as before major surgery. Low body iron levels can cause anaemia (low haemoglobin, or ‘Hb’ levels). Haemoglobin is the protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen around your body and gives blood its red colour. For more information go to our Iron deficiency and iron therapy page.
Immunoglobulin infusions
Immunoglobulin infusions are used to treat a wide range of conditions affecting the immune system as well as some inflammatory disorders and infections. Immunoglobulin infusions are either given directly into a vein (intravenously) or into the tissues (subcutaneously).
Pre-consent information on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment
The pre-consent fact sheet (PDF 109KB) provides information for prospective IVIg patients on the:
- possible side effects
- baseline and screening blood tests
- need to regularly review your treatment with your medical specialist.