Testing and processing
Testing of donated blood
Testing of all donated blood for transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) such as HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis is one of the strategies recommended WHO to ensure safe blood. Where appropriate and possible, donated blood should be tested for other infections such as Chagas Disease and Malaria. Blood is also tested to identify the blood group and for the presence of irregular red cell antibodies before transfusion. This is to make sure the patient who will receive compatible blood in order to avoid serious haemolytic transfusion reactions.
Processing of donated blood
Safe blood is a precious gift from blood donors. To ensure that the use of donated blood is maximized, blood is processed into blood components so that a number of patients can benefit from a single donation.
Aide Memoires on Safe Blood Components
Blood cold chain
The blood cold chain is a system for the storage and transportation of blood and blood products within the correct temperature range and conditions from the point of collection from blood donors to the point of use at the patient's bedside. A failure in quality in any part of the chain can have serious, even fatal, consequences for patients. An effective blood cold chain avoids waste of limited resource and is an important component of the strategy to promote universal access to safe blood transfusion.
