Blood transfusions are indicated for the treatment of patients who, at any given moment, lack one or various blood components and when there are no other alternatives to make up for this lack.
However, bearing in mind that blood components are human products and, therefore, have their risks, each transfusion has to be treated as a clinical decision that must be based on the condition of the patient, on analytical data and on a positive risk/benefit evaluation.
Therefore, in deciding whether or not to carry out a transfusion, the following criteria must always be considered: why it is necessary, the objective of the transfusion, triggering mechanism corrective measures, possible therapeutic alternatives and their efficacy, as well as possible side effects which the transfusion may cause.
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