Blood-Blood-Transfusion Books

There is an enormous amount of info packed into this relatively small and easy to read paperback!!! Now in its second edition (fortunate, because my first edition text is pretty well worn from use & study), this book gets slightly larger but still should be required reading for any path resident while on the TransMed service----you can easily get through it in a month. I also found it a fantastic resource when studying for transmed boards (although that's been a numer of years ago for me). At the time, I'm pretty sure Dr. McCullough wrote many of the boards questions!!! hint, hint Now that I am in practice as a general pathologist, I still occasionally turn to this little book! BUY IT!

This book is a clear and concise review of the major, and in some cases not so major, areas of transfusion medicine. It is well written with a very clear style. The content coverage is superb and the appropriate references are given allowing one to track concepts back to their source.

Other books offer more in-depth review of the individual topics discussed but this book does the best job of evenly covering the major topics at a level appropriate for residents, fellows, and physicians interested in transfusion medicine. This book should be required introductory reading for all clinical pathology residents.

This book, like the first edition, is a truly excellent review of basic concepts in Transfusion Medicine, with enough advanced concepts and details to satisfy pathology residents studying for board exams. Dr. McCullough has gone out of his way to produce a book that is as current as can be, reads easily, and is just plain stuffed full of practical and theoretical information! An added bonus is that since Dr. McCullough (a former editor of the journal TRANSFUSION) authored all but one of the chapters, the book does not suffer from the uneven writing that damages too many Blood Banking books. He is a terrific writer, and this is an outstanding book.

If your having trouble understanding blood banking and a need a good intro book to the basic principles of transfusion medicine and blood banking this book is it. Not only is it easy to understand, it is pleasurable and an easy book to read. As a pathology fellow, I urge any resident who is involved in clinical pathology and blood banking to grab a copy. It will make your life a lot easier.

This book provides current and relevant information to the bench technologist, resident physician and practicing clinician. It's a great review for the Blood bank portion of the Clinical Pathology Board exam as well as a resource for lectures or everyday problems in immunohematology and transfusion medicine.
BUY IT!!

In my role as a transfusion medicine fellow at a tertiary care hospital (following an anatomic/clinical pathology residency), I am faced with interesting and complex clinical decisions daily. This book is my first-line resource, in which I can consistently (and quickly) find clinical guidance along with balanced discussions of general recommendations.

Quite simply, this book has brought the coherent, thoughtful, and up-to-date opinions of top transfusion medicine experts right into my office. Each chapter generally provides an outline of the current knowledge of a subject, includes a summary of the published literature, and usually concludes with a thoughtful (and readable) synthesis of best accepted practices based on the available evidence and the expertise of the author.

Personally, I often re-read portions of the book on component therapy prior to bedside procedures, treatment of acquired hemostatic disorders, intrauterine/neonatal/pediatric transfusion, transfusion support in stem cell and solid organ transplantation, platelet transfusion, transfusion reactions, transfusion related graft vs. host disease, and many others. New topics (to this edition) include chapters on therapeutic apheresis, medical legal issues, European hemovigilance programs, and an overall assessment of the risk/benefit profile of transfusions.

Bottom line: this is a priceless volume for physicians or trainees in pathology, hematology, anesthesiology or blood banking. Its practical nature and academic excellence should be praised.

As a trainee in transfusion medicine, I have relied heavily on this textbook to help guide my clinical decisions and recommendations; and have found it invaluable.

Each chapter includes substantial pathophysiologic background, along with discussion of current and definitive clinical literature; thus enabling me to make justifiable decisions in an era where we strive to practice evidence-based medicine.

This book provides a precise guide concerning the indications for transfusion, appropriate uses of component therapy and the management of adverse reactions to transfusion. Another of its strengths is the inclusion of ample references to guide in-depth investigation of a subject when desired.

The chapters on Acquired Disorders of Hemostasis; Transfusion Therapy in Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation; and Transfusion in Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care have been extremely useful for patient management in the tertiary care setting. This book is a must-have for the library of any clinician who administers and/or monitors transfusion therapy.

Wendy Paul, M.D.
Fellow, Transfusion Medicine

This is an excellent book for an educator to use when teaching hematology, immunology and transfusion therapy. Easy to understand and provides an excellent knowledge base. This is also a practical and easy to understand book for ancillary healthcare workers. I highly recommend it.

This text is well worth the money. I have used it repeatedly for general transfusion med questions in the hospital and in dealings with the transfusion med committee. Although I have both, this book gets used much more than Mollison's text....the writing is clearer, and answers are simply easier to find.

This Book is a very informative realistic story and a very true one. Anyone having concerns about surgery needing blood transfusions "MUST" read this book, it could save your life!!!

K.C. Roberts, M.S., C.P., C.C.A. President, American Board of Clinical Autotransfusion, President/CEO, National Transfusion Services The information contained within this book has been valuable to the surgical transfusion programs I consult with. It offers a wonderful balance of traditional transfusion approaches while also doing an excellant job in describing the autologous alternatives for surgical patients that may require bank blood transfusions. The authors have included a section on the "medicallegal aspects of transfusion therapy," which are and will become more and more a problem for any clinician that transfuses blood components. With FDA regulations escalting there will be more need for such information. The last section titled "Special Concerns" includes some very good selections pertaining to the management of anemia, as well as section on general transfusion management, and the specialties of OB/GYN and "Massive Transfusion." If this book is revised I would like t

This compact reference is intended to put clinical prpoblems in perspective as they relate to making decisions when administering blood tranfusions. It is divided into sections, each consisting of short chapters addressing specific clinical situations, thus facilitating rapid clinical decision-making or giving essential background information. Topics include general information such as autlogous and allogeneic blood products, epidemiology, blood options, the ABO and Rhesus system, compatibility testing, and administering blood prpoducts; surgery; general medicine; and appropriate prescribing.

"Well referenced throughout, this monograph then is a unique collection of the then current research and discussion on this important topic. Of Particular value to transfusion specialist clinicians and medical scientists, this monograph would also be of interest to haemotology specialists and scientists, and researchers in these fields."
- by R.B. Dow, FAIMS

Richard M. Titmuss's The Gift Relationship: From Human Blood to Social Policy has to be the best book that I have read this summer. It is hard to believe that this book was first published half a century ago and still holds true of the social and economical policies of life, metaphorically represented as blood. The first few chapters in this book that has recently been included in this edition illustrate the importance of how the concept of donating a non-substitute fluid of life presents various dilemmas in association with recent outbreaks like A.I.D.S. Originally, when I first purchased this book, I thought I would criticize how such social and economical policies have changed significantly over the fifty years. However, after reading this fascination and quite reflective book on our society and generosity today, I have realized that not much has changed since this book was first written. Yet, Titmuss does not accept or reject certain theories of the concept whether it is right or wrong to get paid to donate blood as opposed to voluntary donation. This book satiates the curiosity of how giving blood originated for the economics, anthropologist, philosopher, as well as for the average individual. Those who seek a challenge in trying to understand our health care system and H.M.O's will find this book as a great source of comparing how the giving of life has changed over the years, in the United States and abroad. Most of what Titmuss describes in his technical language is based on the H.M.S health care in England. However, the reader will hopefully realize the similarities and differences in socialized medicine compared to our managed health care as established today. If you are looking for an intellectually stimulating book questioning what is the gift of life and how much it is worth economically and socially, Richard M. Titmuss's The Gift Relationship: From Human Blood to Social Policy is the prescribed treatment for you.