Whole blood ( WB) is human blood from a standard blood donation.[ It is used in the treatment of massive bleeding, in exchange transfusion, and when people donate blood to themselves (autologous transfusion).][ It is given by intravenous.]
Side effects include red blood cell breakdown, high blood potassium, infection, volume overload, lung injury, and allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis.[ It is best within a day of collection; however, it can be stored for up to three weeks if refrigerated (1-6 °C).] (2025). 072160384X, Elsevier Health Sciences. 072160384X
The first transfusion of whole blood was in 1818; however, common use did not begin until the First and Second World Wars.[
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Medical use
Whole blood has similar risks to a transfusion of red blood cells and is typically to avoid hemolytic transfusion reactions. The use of whole blood is common in low- and middle-income countries. Over 40% of blood collected in low-income countries is administered as whole blood, and approximately a third of all blood collected in middle-income countries is administered as whole blood.
Whole blood is sometimes "recreated" from stored red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) for neonatal transfusions. This is done to provide a final product with a very specific hematocrit (percentage of red cells) with ABO red cells and ABO plasma to minimize the chance of complications.
Transfusion of whole blood is being used in the military setting and in the civilian setting, where it is being used in pre-hospital trauma care and in the setting of massive transfusion in the civilian setting.
Processing
Historically, blood was transfused as whole blood without further processing. Most blood banks now split the whole blood into two or more components,
The collected blood is generally separated into components by one of three methods. A centrifuge can be used in a "hard spin" which separates whole blood into plasma and red cells or a "soft spin" which separates it into plasma, buffy coat (used to make platelets), and red blood cells. The third method is sedimentation: the blood simply sits overnight, and the red cells and plasma are separated by gravitational interactions, which is used predominantly in low-income countries.
Storage
Whole blood is typically stored under the same conditions as red blood cells and can be kept up to 35 days if collected with citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine-1 (CPDA-1) anticoagulant solution, or 21 days with other common anticoagulants such as citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD).
If the whole blood is used to make , it is kept at room temperature until the process is complete. Whole blood processing must be completed within 24 hours to minimize the warm storage of red cells in the unit.
External links
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target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Blood & Blood Products from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
