Introduction of whole blood in exchange for 75 to 85% of an infant's circulating blood. Blood is repeatedly withdrawn in small amounts and replaced with equal amounts of donor blood. This procedure is performed in infants to treat erythroblastosis fetalis. See Erythroblastosis fetalis.
As a treatment for extreme hyperbilirubinemia for which phototherapy is insufficient treatment, an infant's blood is replaced with blood from the blood bank. This is done in a slow and controlled manner, and is very effective at lowering bilirubin levels.
slow removal of a person's blood and its replacement with equal amounts of a donor's blood
A blood transfusion in which the baby's blood is removed in small quantities while simultaneously being replaced with the same amounts of donor blood. Often times this is done to dilute harmful amounts of bilirubin.
A blood transfusion that may be necessary when a baby has a high level of bilirubin [see definition above]. Some of the baby's blood is removed and replaced with blood containing normal levels of bilirubin. At the end of the procedure, the bilirubin level is lower.
An exchange transfusion is a medical treatment in which apheresis is used to remove one person's red blood cells or platelets and replace them with transfused blood products.