Where does transfused blood come from?
The American Red Cross collects more than six million volunteer blood donations each year, making it the nation's largest blood supplier. The blood from these donations is used in the nearly five million blood transfusions performed each year. To help ensure the safety of patients, volunteer blood donors are not paid for their donations. In addition, blood donors are asked questions about their health history to help determine the safety of their blood and to help ensure their blood can be donated without any health complications to themselves. All blood goes through FDA-regulated testing at a Red Cross testing laboratory to further help ensure its safety.
How is blood tested?
During a blood donation, sample tubes of blood are drawn in addition to the blood collected in the collection bag. These tubes are labeled and sent to a Red Cross testing laboratory where a trained technician performs tests on each sample of blood. The blood is screened for infectious diseases such as HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B and C, as well as for unexpected red blood cell antibodies that might cause a transfusion reaction in some people. Once the testing is complete, the blood is either approved for transfusion or destroyed.
Why would my doctor recommend a blood transfusion?
You may require a transfusion to replace blood that is lost during surgery or in an accident. If you are receiving chemotherapy, your bone marrow may be temporarily unable to make new blood cells. Most organ transplants, cancer therapies, heart and other surgeries, resuscitation of trauma victims and care and survival of premature infants would not be possible without blood transfusions.
Are blood transfusions safe?
Many patients and their families are concerned about the risk of contracting a disease through a blood transfusion. While blood transfusions are not risk free, the blood supply is safer than ever.
- Red Cross volunteer blood donors are carefully screened for risk factors that would disqualify them from donating blood.
- Every donation goes through extensive testing for various infectious disease markers, including HIV and hepatitis.
- Donations that test positive are not used for patient transfusions.
The risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis or bacterial infection from a blood transfusion is extremely low. Due to advances in donor screening and blood testing, the safety of blood has improved immensely over the last 30 years.
- In 1987, one in 250,000 blood recipients was estimated at risk of contracting HIV.
- In 2000, that number was one in 2,135,000.
When a transfusion is needed, the benefits of receiving blood outweigh the risk of contracting an infectious disease.
Is there a charge when I receive a transfusion?
Although there is no charge for the blood itself, to cover all the costs associated with handling a unit of blood, the Red Cross charges a blood processing fee to the receiving hospital. The processing fee covers the cost of collecting, testing, processing, storing and distributing the blood products. The hospital may charge additional fees, such as a cross-match fee and an administration fee, to cover the cost of actually administering the transfusion. These charges are covered by most insurance companies.
Are there other risks associated with blood transfusion?
Occasionally, reactions to blood transfusions do occur. In most cases, the reactions are mild—usually fever or chills. Some transfusion reactions are caused by the donor's white blood cells transfused along with the red cells or platelets. These cells may cause fever, may carry certain viruses or may suppress the immune systems of patients, increasing the risk for infections after surgery. Most units of red blood cells and platelets distributed by the Red Cross have the white cells removed to reduce this risk.
Can I donate my own blood for a transfusion?
Donating your own blood for a transfusion is called an autologous donation. Your doctor may be the best source of information about autologous donation. Please learn more about autologous donation. |
