Yes, this sounds like a very very bad idea, what with the way that people given the wrong blood type in transfusions or organ transplants often tend to, well, die.

Yet, babies up to 12 months old *can* receive blood from *any* blood type, as they have not developed full resistance yet. This was recently discovered by a surgeon who transplanted a heart into a baby of a different blood type (since there were no suitable donor hearts available). The baby didn't suffer an adverse reaction to the blood, and survived the surgery.

Further, it seems babies who receive AB+ organs become universal recipients thereafter.

Now, I'm not saying we should give healthy babies heart transplants. I suggest seeing whether the same effect can be achieved by injecting babies with a small amount of AB+ blood (perhaps once, perhaps a short course of injections). Assuming this works, parents could be offered the chance for their babies to gain lifelong universal recipience with little risk.

--

The claim that babies have universal recipience is based on an article I read last year - aha! Just found it.
-- imaginality, Dec 14 2006

Blood types http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type
[imaginality, Dec 14 2006]

Mismatched heart transplants successful http://www.cbsnews....II/main609225.shtml
Found it! This is the article I mentioned [imaginality, Dec 15 2006]

Yep.
-- imaginality, Dec 15 2006


That's bloody incredible, no pun intended, and a movie of the week if I ever saw one.

No.
I've just got something in my eye.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 15 2006


Wow [+]
-- pertinax, Dec 15 2006


I don't think that is entirely accurate. I am a regular blood donor, and my blood has some special factors (or is lacking something, I am not sure) which allows it to be used with newborns. This is apparently rather rare as the blood bank people get quite cross with me if I miss a donation.
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Dec 17 2006



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