What Is a Blood Transfusion?
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What Is a Blood Transfusion?

More than 4.5 million Americans undergo this procedure every year.
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Updated on August 21, 2023
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A blood transfusion is a procedure during which donated blood is added to your own blood in your body.

Blood transfusions boost blood levels that are low.

You may need a blood transfusion due to surgery, bleeding, injury, cancer, infection, a blood disorder, a liver problem, or another type of health concern.

Blood contains components such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets.

A blood transfusion may provide you with whole blood, or with the parts of blood that are most helpful to you.

Sometimes a blood transfusion is performed with your own blood that you’ve donated ahead of time.

The blood given in a transfusion must be compatible with your blood type. Your blood will be tested to determine if it’s A, B, AB, or O, and if it’s Rh positive or Rh negative.

Blood banks carefully screen donated blood to identify blood type.

They also test for infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can be transmitted during a transfusion.

More than 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion each year.

Blood Transfusion Procedure

Blood transfusions are typically performed in a hospital, doctor’s office, or other medical facility.

First, an intravenous (IV) line is placed in a vein, typically in an arm. Then blood or blood components that are stored in a plastic bag are delivered through the IV into your bloodstream.

The blood transfusion typically takes one to four hours.

Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms during your transfusion:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Fever or chills
  • Pain at the infusion site
  • Unusual itching
  • A sense of uneasiness

Before a Blood Transfusion

You won’t need to change your diet or limit any activities before receiving a blood transfusion.

Let your doctor know if you’ve had a transfusion in the past that caused an adverse reaction.

After a Blood Transfusion

After the blood transfusion procedure, you may develop bruising where the needle was inserted.

You may need more blood testing to check how your body is responding to the transfusion.

Blood Transfusion Risks

Blood transfusions are considered safe, but certain complications can happen during or after the procedure. These include:

  • Allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
  • Fever
  • Lung injury
  • Acute immune hemolytic reaction (occurs when the body suddenly attacks donor red blood cells)
  • Delayed hemolytic reaction (occurs when the body gradually attacks donor red blood cells)
  • Bloodborne infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C
  • Iron overload (too much iron in the blood), often the result of repeated blood transfusions
  • Graft-versus-host disease (occurs when donor white blood cells attack the recipient’s bone marrow); this is very rare, typically occurring in immunocompromised patients
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Natalia Johnsen, MD

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Natalia Johnsen, MD, practices internal medicine and lifestyle medicine. She works as an internist for the Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Washington.

Johnsen trained and worked as ob-gyn in Russia before coming to the United States in 2000. Subsequently, she interned in internal medicine at the University of Nevada and completed her residency at a Stanford-affiliated program in Santa Clara, California. After that she worked as a general internist for two years before to switching to full-time hospital work.

Johnsen has always been fascinated by the effects that lifestyle can have on physical and mental health, and she fell in love with the concept of lifestyle medicine as a specialty after seeing patients struggle with issues that could have been prevented had they known more about a healthy lifestyle. To make an impact on her patients through lifestyle interventions, she launched her own lifestyle medicine clinic, Vivalso Health and Longevity.

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Julie Marks is a freelance writer with more than 20 years of experience covering health, lifestyle, and science topics. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, her work has been featured in WebMD, SELF, Healthline, A&E, Psych Central, Verywell Health, and more. Her goal is to compose helpful articles that readers can easily understand and use to improve their well-being. She is passionate about healthy living and delivering important medical information through her writing.

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Resources
  1. Blood Transfusion and Donation. MedlinePlus.
  2. Blood Facts. GivingBlood.org.
  3. Blood Transfusion. Mayo Clinic.
  4. Treatments for Blood Disorders. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Additional Sources