Latest news with #childrenhospital
CNET
30-05-2025
- General
- CNET
I Had No Clue About My Blood Type -- Here's How I Finally Found Out
I never really thought much about my blood type until I needed to know it. A couple of years ago, I was filling out a volunteer application for a children's hospital, and one of the questions asked for my blood type. I knew I was O-positive, but I wanted to double-check just to be sure. First, I called my mom to see if it was listed on my birth certificate. It wasn't. Then I checked my doctor's online health portal -- nothing there either. That's when I realized a lot of people probably don't know their blood type, and that could be a big problem in an emergency. Your blood type matters more than you might think. It can affect everything from your risk for certain conditions to how your body handles a blood transfusion. If you're not sure what yours is, there are a few easy ways to find out, and trust me, it's worth knowing. This got me wondering: How does someone discover their blood type if they don't already know it? The good news is that finding out your blood type is relatively simple, and you have options. Below are three easy ways to find out your blood type. Blood type basics CNET Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative. But what determines blood type and what does that blood type mean? Blood types are determined by antigens -- a substance that triggers an immune response -- on the surface of red blood cells. There are ABO antigens, which designate ABO blood types. This is determined by the ABO gene. For example: Type A blood type has the A antigen blood type has the A antigen Type B blood type has the B antigen blood type has the B antigen Type AB blood type has both the A and B antigen blood type has both the A and B antigen Type O doesn't produce any A or B antigen There are also Rhesus (Rh) antigens, which determine if blood is "positive" or "negative." If you have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you are Rh positive. If you don't have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you have negative blood. Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative. Ekachai Lohacamonchai/EyeEm/Getty Images How to find your blood type? Here's three main ways to type your blood: Have your doctor do a blood test Donate blood Use an at-home blood test 1. Clinical test One of the easiest and most effective ways to determine your blood type is to have your doctor perform a test. A professional will draw blood and then perform two tests on the blood sample: forward typing and reverse typing. During forward typing, the blood sample is mixed with antibodies against type A and B blood. Based on whether the blood cells stick together when mixed with the antibodies, your blood type can be determined from there. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type B blood, you have type B blood. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type A blood, you have type A blood. To confirm the result, the next step is reverse typing, meaning the blood sample without red blood cells -- called a serum -- is mixed with type A and type B blood cells. Type A blood will have antibodies against Type B blood in the sample and type B blood will have antibodies against Type A blood. Type O blood will contain antibodies against Type A and Type B. So, if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type B blood cells, you have type A blood, and if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type A blood cells, you have type B blood. I recommend calling your doctor's office to see what a blood type test costs out-of-pocket and if it's covered by insurance. 2. Donate blood This is an easy -- and free -- way to determine blood type, but results are not immediate. If you donate to a blood drive, you can simply ask the staff about your blood type. Blood usually is not tested right away, so it may take up to a few weeks to get the results. With at-home kits, you can determine your blood type in just a few minutes. EldonCard 3. At-home blood test At-home tests are relatively straightforward. You will usually start by wiping your finger with an alcohol wipe and then be required to prick your finger with a disposable lancet to draw blood. Then, you will wipe blood on the provided card. Depending on how the blood dries, clumps or spreads, you will be able to compare your blood stain to a results card. Within minutes, you'll be able to determine your blood type. For more, try these seven methods for sneaking more exercise into your daily routine.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Conjoined twins attached at the chest, belly and pelvis are successfully separated in painstaking 15-hour operation
Twin sisters who were born sharing a chest, stomach and pelvis have now been separated in a massive 15-hour operation involving nearly 60 medics. Kiraz and Aruna, from Brazil, were born conjoined and shared several vital organs, making their surgical separation an incredibly complex procedure. The one year-old sisters went under the knife on May 10th in what one of the surgeons involved said was one of the most complex ever performed in the state of Goiás where they live. The girls are what is medically known as tripus ischiopagus conjoined twins. This means the pair were joined at the pelvis and have three legs between them. Tripus ischiopagus is rare even among conjoined twins, accounting for only about six per cent of all cases. The sisters are still recovering in the intensive care unit of a children's hospital but are reported to be in a stable condition. Hospital officials said a team of 16 surgeons worked in four-hour shifts to complete the mammoth operation as quickly possible to reduce the risk of potentially serious complications. Lead surgeon Dr Zacharias Calil explained: 'There are around 16 surgeons involved, including four anaesthetists, residents, three urologists, paediatricians and orthopaedists.' He also told local media: 'This will be one of the most complex procedures we have ever performed.' However, the twins still face a series of follow-up procedures needed to reconstruct the tissue and organs impacted by the separation. The £310,000 operation itself represented months of preparation. Six months before going under the knife Kiraz and Aruna had skin expanders, special inflatable implants, inserted into their bodies. These implants cause skin surrounding the area to stretch and grow and will help surgeons reconstruct tissue for the twins in subsequent operations. Cases of conjoined twins are incredibly rare, occurring in as few as one in every 200,000 births, according to some estimates. Despite recent medical advances surgery to separate conjoined twins is still considered a delicate and risky procedure requiring extreme precision and care. Mortality rates for twins who undergo surgical separation vary tremendously depending on the exact nature of their connection and which organs they share. Since the 1950s at least one twin has survived the surgery 75 per cent of time. Therefore, the decision to separate twins is a serious one. Normally, twins are born after a single fertilised egg splits and develops into two individual embryos. The split normally occurs eight to 12 days after conception with the embryos going on to develop their own tissues and organs separately. However, in the case of conjoined twins it is believed this split happens too late and the embryos do not separate. Approximately 40 to 60 per cent of conjoined twins arrive stillborn, while around 35 per cent survive only one day. About one set of conjoined twins is born in the UK per 500,000 births, which translates to about one per year on average.
CNET
12-05-2025
- Health
- CNET
Find Your Blood Type With These 3 Simple Methods
When you think of medical information you probably don't immediately consider your blood type. However, more than 1-in-3 Americans don't know their blood type. This can put you in danger, especially if you're in a medical emergency where you require a blood transfusion. Along with emergencies, your blood type also has a huge impact on your health affecting everything from heart health, to a predisposition for conditions like type 2 diabetes. Two years ago, I was filling out an application to volunteer at a children's hospital and on the form, I was asked to provide my blood type. Luckily, I knew that I'm type O-positive, but I wanted documentation to confirm this information. I called my mom to see if blood type is listed on my birth certificate -- no luck. I checked my physician's health portal -- also no luck. This got me wondering: How does someone discover their blood type if they don't already know it? The good news is that finding out your blood type is relatively simple, and you have options. Below are three easy ways to find out your blood type. Blood type basics CNET Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative. But what determines blood type and what does that blood type mean? Blood types are determined by antigens -- a substance that triggers an immune response -- on the surface of red blood cells. There are ABO antigens, which designate ABO blood types. This is determined by the ABO gene. For example: Type A blood type has the A antigen blood type has the A antigen Type B blood type has the B antigen blood type has the B antigen Type AB blood type has both the A and B antigen blood type has both the A and B antigen Type O doesn't produce any A or B antigen There are also Rhesus (Rh) antigens, which determine if blood is "positive" or "negative." If you have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you are Rh positive. If you don't have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you have negative blood. Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative. Ekachai Lohacamonchai/EyeEm/Getty Images How to find your blood type? Here's three main ways to type your blood: Have your doctor do a blood test Donate blood Use an at-home blood test 1. Clinical test One of the easiest and most effective ways to determine your blood type is to have your doctor perform a test. A professional will draw blood and then perform two tests on the blood sample: forward typing and reverse typing. During forward typing, the blood sample is mixed with antibodies against type A and B blood. Based on whether the blood cells stick together when mixed with the antibodies, your blood type can be determined from there. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type B blood, you have type B blood. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type A blood, you have type A blood. To confirm the result, the next step is reverse typing, meaning the blood sample without red blood cells -- called a serum -- is mixed with type A and type B blood cells. Type A blood will have antibodies against Type B blood in the sample and type B blood will have antibodies against Type A blood. Type O blood will contain antibodies against Type A and Type B. So, if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type B blood cells, you have type A blood, and if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type A blood cells, you have type B blood. I recommend calling your doctor's office to see what a blood type test costs out-of-pocket and if it's covered by insurance. 2. Donate blood This is an easy -- and free -- way to determine blood type, but results are not immediate. If you donate to a blood drive, you can simply ask the staff about your blood type. Blood usually is not tested right away, so it may take up to a few weeks to get the results. With at-home kits, you can determine your blood type in just a few minutes. EldonCard 3. At-home blood test At-home tests are relatively straightforward. You will usually start by wiping your finger with an alcohol wipe and then be required to prick your finger with a disposable lancet to draw blood. Then, you will wipe blood on the provided card. Depending on how the blood dries, clumps or spreads, you will be able to compare your blood stain to a results card. Within minutes, you'll be able to determine your blood type. For more, try these seven methods for sneaking more exercise into your daily routine.
