Blood transfusion is the process in which donated blood is given to a person through a tube placed in their vein. People might require a blood transfusion due to surgeries, major injuries, diseases or blood disorders. This is a generally safe procedure as the blood will be tested before it is donated, and before it is given to the person who requires it to see whether their blood types are compatible.
In 1818, the first human to human blood transfusion was performed by James Blundell to treat a patient with postpartum hemorrhage.
In 1901, Karl Landsteiner reached a conclusion that when a person receives blood from another person, severe and often life threatening reactions occur. In 1909, he discovered the 4 blood groups: A, B, AB and O. After further experiments, it was proven that when different blood groups mix, a series of severe reactions occur but it is safe when identical blood groups mix.
He was awarded with the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1930.
In 2015, 1.1 million donated a total of 1.89 million units of blood to hospitals and that helped 5.7 million people. Now, according to the NHS, the number has increased, approximately 2.5 million units of blood is transfused each year. Nearly 400 new donors are needed each day to meet demand, around 135,000 new donors each year to replace those who can no longer donate, 40,000 more black donors to meet growing demand for better matched blood and more young people to start donating so they’ll have more in the future.
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