Question

A patient was rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state due to severe loss of blood. Since, there was no time to assess his blood group, which of the following blood types is best to receive.

• A. AB negative
• B. O negative
• C. AB positive
• D. O positive

Answer 1

The correct option is B

O negative

The correct option is B.

Explanation of correct option:

1. ABO blood grouping system is based on the presence or absence of antigens (A and B) on the surface of RBC.
2. In addition, there is another blood grouping system that is based on the presence or absence of the Rhesus antigen (Rh-factor). If this antigen is present on the RBC surface, the person is said to be Rh-positive, whereas, a person is called Rh-negative if the antigen is absent.
3. O negative blood doesn’t contain A, B, or Rh antigens. This makes the ‘O negative’ blood group a universal donor. Hence, if a patient’s blood group is unknown, he can receive blood ‘O negative’ blood.

Explanation of incorrect option:

Option A:

1. AB negative blood group has both A and B antigens, but no Rh antigen.
2. The patient with an unknown blood group cannot receive AB negative blood since it will lead to agglutination.

Option C:

1. AB positive blood group contains A, B, and Rh antigens.
2. If the blood group of the patient is not known, he shouldn’t be given AB-positive blood since it will cause agglutination.

Option D:

1. O-positive blood group doesn’t contain A or B antigens, but the Rh antigen is present.
2. To prevent agglutination, O-positive blood shouldn’t be given to a patient with an unknown blood group.

Final answer: A patient was rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state due to severe loss of blood. Since there was no time to assess his blood group, it is best to receive O-negative blood type.