INFORMED CONSENT

Before any transfusion is given, informed consent should be obtained from the patient or guardian (see Chapter 89 ). What constitutes consent varies across the United States and is still changing. If a patient is damaged by a transfusion administered without a valid consent, damages may be recovered even though the defendant did everything properly. ^[166] During the past decade, the public has demanded to know more about transfusions. A dramatic example was the passage of the Paul Gann Blood Safety Act in California. This law mandates that patients be informed of the risks of blood transfusions and of any alternatives. This law has apparently already had a restrictive impact on transfusion practice in California.^[167] The rapid changes in transfusion medicine probably dictate an intense, ongoing educational process for clinicians who administer blood products to ensure that they are compliant with current laws and regulations.