Which intervention is essential before transfusing blood to prevent a hemolytic reaction?

Ensuring the accuracy of the blood type match is crucial before transfusing blood because mismatched blood types can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening hemolytic reactions. During a hemolytic reaction, the recipient's immune system reacts against the transfused blood cells, perceiving them as foreign. This can cause the destruction of red blood cells, leading to symptoms such as fever, chills, back pain, and even acute renal failure.

Confirming that the donor's blood type matches the recipient's blood type minimizes this risk significantly. Typically, this involves cross-matching the blood, where samples from both the donor and the recipient are tested together to ensure compatibility. By prioritizing this step, healthcare providers can greatly reduce the chances of an adverse reaction, thereby protecting the patient during the transfusion process.

While obtaining the donor's blood type and checking baseline vital signs are important steps in the transfusion process, they do not directly prevent hemolytic reactions as effectively as confirming the blood type match. Priming a new blood transfusion set is also necessary but relates more to setting up the equipment rather than addressing the fundamental compatibility issue.