transfusion

noun

trans·​fu·​sion tran(t)s-ˈfyü-zhən How to pronounce transfusion (audio)
1
: an act, process, or instance of transfusing
especially : the process of transfusing fluid (such as blood) into a vein or artery
2
: something transfused
transfusional
tran(t)s-ˈfyüzh-nəl How to pronounce transfusion (audio)
-ˈfyü-zhə-nᵊl
adjective

Did you know?

When blood transfusions were first attempted by Europeans in the early 1600s, they were met with skepticism, since the established practice was to bleed patients, not transfuse them with blood. Some patients were transfused with animal blood, and so many died as a result that by 1700 transfusions had been widely outlawed. Not until 1900 were the major blood groups (A, B, AB, and O) recognized, making transfusions safe and effective.

Examples of transfusion in a Sentence

Without a transfusion her chances of survival were slim.
Recent Examples on the Web While Johnson is throwing darts at the longevity board and seeing what sticks, young plasma transfusions don’t seem to make the cut. Byalexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 8 July 2023 Managing The Blood Supply Chain Knowing where products are is vital to any supply chain, but with blood donations and transfusions, lives are at stake. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Texas and New Orleans were pioneers of EMS transfusion in the field, and their research helped D.C. develop protocols to bring whole blood to their departments. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Ban on gay and bisexual men donating In the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, blood donations were not able to screen for HIV, which led to some cases of HIV via transfusion. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2023 After the first round of transfusion, the kitten started showing signs of improvement, the Nebraska Humane Society said in its Facebook post. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 12 Nov. 2023 But after the transfusion her blood pressure went back up quickly. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 The remaining three had more than a 70 percent reduction in the need for red cell transfusions. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 Nov. 2023 In these trials, which are still ongoing, 29 of the 30 study participants with sickle cell anemia had no pain for one year in the 18 months following their exa-cel transfusions. Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transfusion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of transfusion was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near transfusion

Cite this Entry

“Transfusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transfusion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

transfusion

noun
trans·​fu·​sion tran(t)s-ˈfyü-zhən How to pronounce transfusion (audio)
1
: an act, process, or instance of transfusing
especially : the process of transfusing a fluid and especially blood into a blood vessel
2
: something transfused

Medical Definition

transfusion

noun
trans·​fu·​sion tran(t)s-ˈfyü-zhən How to pronounce transfusion (audio)
1
: the process of transfusing fluid (as blood) into a vein or artery
2
: something transfused

More from Merriam-Webster on transfusion

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