Jose, an 11-year-old child, was involved in a serious automobile accident and has lost a lot of blood. The emergency physician tells his mother that he will need a blood transfusion. The mother becomes frantic, saying that Jose has a "rare" blood type, AB, and she doesn't know if they will be able to match it. What would be the physician's best response to Jose's mother?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

People with type AB blood are known as universal recipients because they can receive red blood cells from any blood type (A, B, AB, or O). This is due to the absence of anti-A and anti-B antibodies in their plasma, allowing them to accept A, B, AB, and O blood without the risk of an adverse reaction to these antigens.

Jose, an 11-Year-Old Child, Was Involved in a Serious Automobile