Is blood transfusion safe?
Strict screening practices should be adopted in the selection of blood donors. Their medical history is taken and blood is checked for HIV and other such infections before it is administered. The storing and processing also has to be carefully monitored. Whole blood can be stored for a limited time only but its various components can be frozen and stored for a year or longer. A technique called haemapheresis is used wherein only a desired blood component is taken from the donor’s blood and the remaining fluid and blood cells are immediately transfused back into the donor. This technique allows the collection of large amounts of a particular component, such as platelets, from a single donor. Blood for transfusion must be taken only from blood banks that are certified by the Ministry of Health, Government of India. Most major hospitals have such certified blood banks.
