Blood transfusion is a technique that replaces blood that was lost after injury or surgery, or it can be used to replace blood, which does not maintain its function properly. A person might need a blood transfusion in case of sickle cell disease, anemia, and clotting disorder such as cancer or hemophilia (Blood transfusion, n.d.). Sometimes this technique can save a life if a person is in critical condition. There are four types of products in the blood packed red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Packed red blood cells (PRBC) are cells that are separated from the blood for transfusion. A patient might need PRBC in case of having hemoglobin disorders or receiving cancer chemotherapy. If there is a required transfusion, a patient should be screened not only for hemoglobin level but also in the overall context so that in case of hematinic deficiency, it is treated without transfusion. Blood plasma contains important components such as clotting factor
s, antibodies, proteins fibrinogen, and albumin. Patients might need plasma transfusion in case of burns, trauma, shock, and other emergencies. It can also be used to treat hemophilia and autoimmune disorders. Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small cell fragments with no pigment that participate in the clotting process and prevent bleeding. Patients who suffer from different types of cancer, such as leukemia, have a low concentration of platelets in the blood as a result of chemotherapy treatment. They have to receive platelet transfusion regularly to maintain a stable condition of the body. Oxygen saturation is a measurement of the amount of hemoglobin bound to oxygen in comparison to the unbound hemoglobin. In the case of anemia, the hemoglobin level is low. However, its saturation with oxygen is not affected and remains stable (95%). That is why the finding that a pulse oximetry reading of the patient with anemia is in the high 80s is not expected.