Question

Cellulose acetate is performed on a patient with known homozygous HbS who has received red cell transfusions in the past week. What hemoglobins would be expected to be found?

Answer 1

A homozygous HbS patient with recent transfusions would have both abnormal HbS and normal HbA detected in their hemoglobin electrophoresis test.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hemoglobin electrophoresis (cellulose acetate) performed on a homozygous HbS patient who has received red blood cell transfusions will likely show a mix of HbS and normal hemoglobin (HbA) depending on the extent and recency of the transfusion. Individuals with homozygous HbS (ss) produce red blood cells that only contain sickle cell hemoglobin due to the mutation causing valine to replace glutamic acid in the 6th position of the ß chain. However, after transfusion, their blood can contain a mix of their own HbS and the donated HbA, leading to a composite result on the electrophoresis.

Since a patient with the homozygous recessive (ss) sickle cell trait will have their abnormal HbS, and they have received a recent transfusion of likely normal donor red blood cells (containing HbA), both forms of hemoglobin could be detected. For a more accurate interpretation, the timing and quantity of transfusion are crucial as the lifespan of transfused red blood cells can be up to 120 days, which would prolong the detection of normal HbA in the patient's circulation.