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There's no reason why one should know their blood type generally. Every medical situation where that is important is done everytime such information is needed. We never just look at the medical record and or take a persons word for it. It always has to be performed again and again each and every time of use. One of the most preventable hospital deaths is an ABO blood type mismatch. .
Sorry, I forgot to answer the actual question. If the blood type was done at the hospital then contact medical records at the hospital for such records. If the test was ordered by the doctor's office as an outpatient which rarely happens then the doctor's medical records are under his care.
Medical records handle the paperwork and release forms needed to give out information at the hospital level.
I had surgery in 2020 and specifically asked the surgeon if I would be able to learn my blood type. He said yes, but even after getting my records to give to my new doctor, it wasn't on there.
I ended up donating blood and now I know. B+
I was thinking about donating blood, anyway, so if I can find out my blood type that way, that's what I'll do.
You'd think this would be on one of the many pathology lab reports I have going back a few years.
I've known my blood type for fifty years or so, going back to whenever I started giving blood.
Still, if I were a doctor and I was getting ready to perform surgery, I would much rather test the patient's blood than take his/her word for it and risk harm to the patient.
I have to mention one very important exception with regards to patients knowing their blood status and that is if anyone were ever to come down with an antibody then absolutely they should try and remember what that antibody was. That is one big exception. That is more important than knowing what your blood type is. If you have an antibody and the concentrations go way down to the point where we no longer are able to detect it and then report out as antibody screen as negative then that might create a problem if blood is given that contains that blood group that the antibody is against. There are other blood groups out there besides the ABO system and fortunately, they are not as antigenic as the ABO so most of the time we do not form antibodies against them. On rare occasions, a person will form such an antibody. If that person down the road shows a negative antibody screen and is given blood with that antigen then a transfusion reaction can develop as the body sees it as foreign and a few days later antibodies are reformed again and will attack the blood transfused.
If we are informed by the patient that they were told they had an antibody or if we detect an antibody during screening we will contact the patient and ask them if they know what their antibody is and if they don't remember what it was then we will call any previous hospital they were in around the country and talk to their blood bank for the identification of that antibody. We then make sure that the patient does not get blood containing that blood group.
Don't tell anybody but I can call any hospital in the country and ask for the blood bank and get the blood bank information directly. No questions asked and no forms filled out. Results just given over the phone. HIPAA whatever.
Thank you, glad I asked, all good information and input. First I will call the surgeon's office and see what they say. That does make sense about a patient not needing to know, they will check anyway, but I still think I should know. My mom told me a gazillion years ago and she and I both forgot.
I've known my blood type for fifty years or so, going back to whenever I started giving blood.
Still, if I were a doctor and I was getting ready to perform surgery, I would much rather test the patient's blood than take his/her word for it and risk harm to the patient.
No one will ever be given blood based on what they think their blood type is. Everyone who undergoes a procedure where blood might be needed with will be typed and crossed with every unit set aside for them.
Even in the worst case scenario where the blood is given in an emergency, starting with O neg, every unit will have samples pulled off the bag to be crossed and typed asap after the fact. Being the blood bank tech at Wilford Hall back when it was a 1,000 bed facility was not the place to be when a shooting victim was brought in. As a teaching hospital that was the only trauma center on that side of San Antonio, patients are allowed to die and the doctors will not hesitate to use 30-40-50-60 units of blood. And yes, some poor airman/90450 med lab tech had to go back and cross-match ever unit of blood. Made me glad I worked in stat chemistry.
RIP Big Willy. You gave life, you took lives and a lot of people owe their lives to the finest airman and officers who served there with indescribable pride.
They make you wear a disposable bracelet during surgical procedures which has your blood type right on it...noticed mine was AB- on a procedure I had years ago.
No. Just go in person to Medical Records (they'll call it something different like health information). You may have to sign a waiver or request for records.
Your pcp should be able to provide that info over the phone for you.
It's as much yours as any other lab result and YOU own that information.
Thank you, grampaTom. I wasn't really for sure on that, just a suggestion
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzy_q2010
Unless the surgery entails significant risk of blood loss that might require transfusion, a blood type might not be ordered.
My wife went through something like that. Her veins are so small and curvy there have been times they had to use a pic line for an IV in some of her hospital stays. For one of her back surgeries they were having such a hard time drawing blood. They called the doctor and he said if they could do it, just not to worry about it because there wouldn't be hardly any blood loss with what the surgery was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackmccullough
I've known my blood type for fifty years or so, going back to whenever I started giving blood.
That's how it was with me. When I first donated to the Red Cross, in 1974, I saw my blood type on my donor
card.
They make you wear a disposable bracelet during surgical procedures which has your blood type right on it...noticed mine was AB- on a procedure I had years ago.
That's the rarest blood type. One of my daughters is AB- too. (I'm A+, hubby is B-).
That's the rarest blood type. One of my daughters is AB- too. (I'm A+, hubby is B-).
Yep...my father also had AB- blood type. Not sure if the rarest is good or bad...
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