Typical Rates, Volumes, and Durations for Routine (Non-Emergent) Transfusions

Why a blood transfusion is done

A blood transfusion can help if you've lost a lot of blood, or if you have certain health conditions that affect your blood or bone marrow.

You may need a blood transfusion if you do not have enough healthy red blood cells.

This is called anaemia and it can be caused by:

• losing a lot of blood from an accident, surgery or giving birth
• having a condition that affects the red blood cells or bone marrow, such as sickle cell disease or thalassaemia
• having treatment such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy

You may also need a blood transfusion if you have a condition which means your blood does not clot as well as it should.

This can mean you bleed a lot, or for longer than usual.

Depending on your condition, you can be given a transfusion containing:

• red cells – to help with anaemia
• platelets – to help your blood clot
• plasma – to help your blood clot

Sometimes other treatments will be tried before you have a blood transfusion.

The doctor will tell you about any alternatives.

What happens when you have a blood transfusion

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how long can blood be transfused

how long does a blood transfusion take