Blood Transfusion and Donation

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Summary

Every year, millions of people in the United States receive life-saving blood transfusions. During a transfusion, you receive whole blood or parts of blood such as:

Red blood cells - cells that carry oxygen to and from tissues and organs
Platelets - cells that form clots to control bleeding
Plasma - the liquid part of the blood that helps clotting. You may need it if you have been badly burned, have liver failure or a severe infection.

Most blood transfusions go very smoothly. Some infectious agents, such as HIV, can survive in blood and infect the person receiving the blood transfusion. To keep blood safe, blood banks carefully screen donated blood. The risk of catching a virus from a blood transfusion is low.

Sometimes it is possible to have a transfusion of your own blood. During surgery, you may need a blood transfusion because of blood loss. If you are having a surgery that you're able to schedule months in advance, your doctor may ask whether you would like to use your own blood, instead of donated blood. If so, you will need to have blood drawn one or more times before the surgery. A blood bank will store your blood for your use.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

About Blood Donation (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies)
Blood Donation (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Blood Donation FAQs (America's Blood Centers)
Blood Donation Process (American Red Cross)
Blood Transfusion (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Treatments for Blood Disorders (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Red Blood Cell Antibody Screen (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Eligibility Requirements (American Red Cross)
Questions about Blood (Food and Drug Administration)

Related Issues

Diversity in Blood Types (American Red Cross)
Facts About Blood and Blood Types (American Red Cross)
How You Can Help Medical Research: Donating Your Blood, Tissue, and Other Samples (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Precautions and Adverse Reactions during Blood Transfusion (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Blood Transfusion (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
Exchange transfusion - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Kinds of Blood Product Transfusions (American Cancer Society)

Videos and Tutorials

Testing Your Blood (College of American Pathologists)

Statistics and Research

Blood Facts and Statistics (American Red Cross)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Donors (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Substitutes and Alternatives (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Transfusion (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Transfusion Reaction (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

American Red Cross Also in Spanish
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Where to Donate Blood (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies)

Teenagers

Blood Transfusions (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Blood donation before surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Blood transfusions (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Blood Transfusion and Donation is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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