On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

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)

• Article: The direct costs of transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia in Saudi Arabia: A cost...
• Article: Seroprevalence of sand fly fever Sicilian virus in blood donors in...
• Article: Bacterial contaminants in stored blood and blood products at Zomba Central...
• Blood Transfusion and Donation -- see more articles

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