7 Weird Facts On Blood Transfusion

Between Nurse.com and PBS, we found some interesting factoids on blood transfusion. Of course, the Nurse.com factoids came from Susan Baimbridge, RN, CCRN-CSC, ADCNS-BD. She’s from St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, and recently spoke about blood conservation during cardiac surgery.

1. In 1818, James Blundell performed the first recorded human-to-human blood transfusion.
1. Blood transfusions date as far back as the 1600s.
3. World War II dawned an era in transfusion medicine.
4. In 1907 Dr. Ludvig Hektoen of Chicago recommended checking the blood of donors and recipients for signs of blood transfusion incompatibility.
5. One unit of blood for soldiers in Afghanistan costs $9,000 to transfuse.
6. Patients have an increased risk of mortality and morbidity when receiving a transfusion. Susan Baimbridge, RN, CCRN-CSC, ADCNS-BD says: “Even receiving one unit of blood can increase morbidity and significantly decrease the long term rate of survival.”
7. In order to change the blood throughout the body takes 10 units of blood.