Transfusion Medicine

Transfusion medicine is a multidisciplinary science concerned with the proper use of blood or blood products in the treatment or prevention of disease. Optimal transfusion therapy requires knowledge of blood types and crossmatching procedures, blood sources and donor selection, blood collection and administration techniques, component therapy, transfusion reactions, and red blood cell (RBC) substitutes. Transfusion medicine plays a vital role in the supportive care of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), with a spectrum of applications including donor peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection, cellular processing, granulocyte transfusions, donor lymphocyte infusions, and the evaluation of immunohematologic issues in ABO-mismatched and other transplant situations. Transfusion Medicine Continues to evolve in the Modern Era. The history of transfusion medicine parallels mankind's understanding of physiology, immunology, chemistry, infectious diseases, and advances in technology. What began as a belief that blood carries important healing properties has been validated by science. However, despite numerous advances over the centuries, blood remains an indispensable, life-giving force. Interestingly, some of the more important advances in blood banking/transfusion medicine have occurred as the result of wars.