Every year, nearly 5 million 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 can be used to control bleeding
- Plasma - liquid part of the blood that helps blood clot
Some people worry about getting sick from giving or receiving blood. It is possible, but is very rare. The Food and Drug Administration and other organizations that collect blood make sure that blood is safe. Every single donation is tested for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, syphilis and several other diseases that can be transmitted through blood. Some people who know they may need blood during surgery donate their own ahead of time. That is the safest type of transfusion.
- Blood Transfusion(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/bt/bt_whatis.html
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Blood Transfusions(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/medical_care/transfusions.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/cuerpo/transfusions_esp.html
- What to Expect When Donating Blood(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_553_,00.html
- Blood Donation: What to Expect(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/blood-donation/GA00039/METHOD=print
- Bone Marrow and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Donation Frequently Asked Questions(National Marrow Donor Program) - http://www.marrow.org/DONOR/When_You_re_Asked_to_Donate_fo/Donation_FAQs/index.html
- JAMA Patient Page: Blood Donation(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/19/2350.pdf
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JAMA Patient Page: Blood Transfusion(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/292/13/1646.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/292/13/1646/DC1/1
- Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,00.html
- Blood Frequently Asked Questions: Person's Suitability to Donate Blood(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/cber/faq/bldfaq.htm
- Alternatives to Blood Transfusion(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4X_Alternatives_To_Blood_Transfusion.asp?sitearea=ETO
- Apheresis(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_554_,00.html
- Blood Component Transfusion - What It Involves(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4X_Blood_Transfusion.asp?sitearea=ETO
- Blood Donation by Cancer Survivors(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4x_Donation_by_Cancer_Survivors.asp?sitearea=ETO
- Blood Transfusion: Safer Than Ever(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8776/22007/351893.html?d=dmtContent
- Blood Transfusions - Knowing Your Options(America's Blood Centers) - http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=247
- Bone Marrow Donation: What to Expect When You Donate(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bone-marrow/CA00047/METHOD=print
- Chagas Disease and Blood Screening(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/chagas/factsheet_screen.html
- Facts about Blood(American Association of Blood Banks) - http://www.aabb.org/Content/About_Blood/Facts_About_Blood_and_Blood_Banking/
- Have You Given Blood Lately?(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/blooddonations100407.html
- Patient's Guide to Blood Management Options(Society for the Advancement of Blood Management) - Links to PDF - http://www.sabm.org/professionals/patientbrochure07.pdf
- Possible Risks of Blood Product Transfusions(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4x_Possible_Risks_of_Blood_Product_Transfusions.asp?sitearea=ETO
- Tips for a Good Blood Donation(American Red Cross) - http://www1.givebloodgivelife.org/donors/tips/
- Types of Blood Donations(American Red Cross) - http://www1.givebloodgivelife.org/donors/types/
- Universal Blood Donor Type: Is There Such a Thing?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/universal-blood-donor-type/HQ00949/METHOD=print
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West Nile Virus: Blood Transfusion, Organ Donation and Blood Donation Screening Information(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/transfusion.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/spanish/wnv_transfusion_spanish.htm
- Why Cancer Patients Might Need Blood Product Transfusions(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4x_Why_Cancer_Patients_Might_Need_Blood_Product_Transfusions.asp?sitearea=ETO
- What's Your Blood IQ?(American Red Cross) - http://www.givelife2.org/games/bloodiq.asp
- Blood and Its Components(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_4X_Blood_And_Its_Components.asp?sitearea=ETO
- What Is Blood?(America's Blood Centers, American Association of Blood Banks) - http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=11
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Donors(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Blood+Donors%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Substitutes and Alternatives(National Institutes of Health) - http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/search/term=biopure+OR+polyheme+OR+oxycyte+OR+hemolink+OR+stanate
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Transfusion(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=blood+transfusion
- Transfusion Safety(National Institutes of Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/Transfusion.pdf
- Article: Increased plasma and platelet to red blood cell ratios improves... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18791365&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: A prospective randomized trial of acute normovolemic hemodilution compared to... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18791356&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Change in use of allogeneic red blood cell transfusions among... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18722940&tool=MedlinePlus
- Blood Transfusion and Donation -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(blood+transfusion[majr]+NOT+blood+transfusion,intrauterine[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Blood types -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(blood+group+antigens[majr]+NOT+blood+transfusion[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Blood Donation Glossary(America's Blood Centers) - http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=333
- Blood Bank Locator(American Association of Blood Banks) - http://www.aabb.org/Content/Donate_Blood/Where_to_Donate/BloodBankLocatorMap?transaction=search&template=map_search
- Blood Management Program Database(Society for the Advancement of Blood Management) - http://www.sabm.org/hospitals/
- America's Blood Centers - http://www.americasblood.org/
- American Association of Blood Banks - http://www.aabb.org/
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American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cruzrojaamericana.org/
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- 56 Facts about Blood(America's Blood Centers) - http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=12
- Truth about Transfusions(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feel_better/things/transfusions.html
- Blood and Blood Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodandblooddisorders.html
- Organ Donation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/organdonation.html
- Stem Cells - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stemcells.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
- Transplantation and Donation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/transplantationanddonation.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Blood Transfusion and Donation is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
Blood Transfusion and Donation - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/bloodtransfusionanddonation.html