Patient‐specific component requirements: ‘right blood, right patient, right time, right place’

Abstract

Although transfusion therapy may save the patient's life, it also carries the risk of severe complications and is therefore recommended only when all other forms of treatment have proved ineffective. The decision to transfuse should be preceeded by careful evaluation of the clinical condition of each individual patient and not be based exclusively on laboratory results (e.g. hemoglobin concentration). Whenever possible, only such components should be transfused, the lack of which is responsible for the disease symptoms. Most blood is separated into components prior to transfusion which offers several advantages: i) blood resources are conserved therefore several patients can benefit from one donated unit ii) each component is stored in optimal conditions iii) a specific component can be transfused in large amounts to those who are in need of it. Transfusion medicine in a hospital setting is focused on ensuring that ‘the right blood is given to the right patient in the right time and the right place’.