Saul was rushed to the hospital after losing control of his car and crashing into a tree. Upon hearing of the accident, his sister Adiela arrived at the hospital. The doctors, needing to perform an immediate blood transfusion, asked Adiela for her blood type. With Saul's blood type being AB-positive and Adiela stating hers is A-positive, the doctors agreed to use her blood for the transfusion. The reason the doctors have agreed to use Adiela's A-positive blood is that individuals with AB-positive blood can safely receive A-positive blood. AB-positive individuals are universal recipients for any positive blood type, meaning they can receive A, B, AB, or O blood as long as it's Rh-positive. Therefore, Adiela's A-positive blood is compatible with Saul's AB-positive blood type.
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The doctors agreed to use Adiela's A-positive blood for the transfusion because Saul's AB-positive blood type allows him to receive blood from any Rh-positive donor, regardless of whether their blood is type A, B, AB, or O. AB-positive individuals are considered universal recipients for Rh-positive blood. Since Adiela has A-positive blood, her blood cells will not be attacked by Saul's immune system, making her blood a safe choice for the transfusion in this emergency situation.
Extra: To understand why Saul can receive Adiela's blood safely, it's essential to understand the basics of blood types and compatibility. Human blood is classified into four main types: A, B, AB, and O, which refer to the kind of antigens found on the surface of the red blood cells. In addition to these antigens, the Rh factor plays a significant role in blood compatibility; this factor can be either positive (Rh+) or negative (Rh-).
People with type A blood have A antigens on their red cells, type B blood has B antigens, type AB has both A and B antigens, and type O has neither A nor B antigens. The AB blood type, like Saul's, can receive red cells from any of the other blood types because it has both A and B antigens, so it doesn't have antibodies that would attack transfused blood with either A or B antigens. In other words, the immune system of a person with type AB blood doesn't recognize A or B antigens as foreign and as such, it accepts them.
The Rh factor is another antigen that can be either present (+) or absent (-) in the blood. People with Rh+ blood can receive blood from Rh+ or Rh- donors, but those with Rh- blood should ideally only receive blood from Rh- donors because they may form antibodies against the Rh factor they lack.
Therefore, since Saul is AB-positive, he can safely receive A-positive blood. However, it's important to note that the opposite isn't true: not everyone can receive AB-positive blood. For example, someone with A-positive blood, like Adiela, can only receive A+ or A- blood (and O+ or O- in emergencies), but not B or AB types, due to potential immune reactions against the B antigen. Blood transfusions must always be done carefully to match both the ABO and Rh blood group systems for safety and to avoid potentially life-threatening reactions.