Blood components must be transfused through a sterile, pyrogen-free transfusion set which has an in-line filter (170 μm pore size), drip chambers and tubing. The filter serves to remove potentially harmful clots and debris that may have formed during collection or storage. Although the Transfusion Services carefully inspect individual units before issuing, there is a slight chance that a small ...

T HIS study was conducted in two phases. Phase one involved eight swine that were catheterized to facilitate blood collections at 8 am, 4 pm and midnight to determine circulating levels of plasma hydrocortisone, growth hormone, glucose, lactate, sodium, potassium, chloride and blood pH. Growth hormone levels decreased significantly from the 8 am to the 4 pm collection. Hydrocortisone levels wer...

Blood transfusions are used to treat patients with serious medical conditions that cannot be corrected by other means (1). Despite the availability of certain blood substitutes that make it possible to maintain the volume or the consistency of circulating blood (2, 3), the biological activity of cellular and plasma components makes these the most efficient treatment for a number of clinical con...

Donor centers are issuing a growing number of recalls and market withdrawals to hospital transfusion services about blood components. More than 1 in 2,000 units were recalled in the late 1990s in the United States. The most common reason for these notices from donor centers is postdonation donor information. Most of these units had been transfused, and many present a "risk of a risk" (ie, a pro...