Blood Safety

Blood transfusions have come a long way since their introduction in the early 1800s. Their use is now commonplace and saves millions of lives each year. Despite the availability of certain blood substitutes, the different components of human blood continue to make a transfusion one of the most effective treatments for a wide variety of medical conditions.

However there is another side to the use of blood and blood products; they are also a potential vector for harmful, and sometimes fatal, infectious diseases, including HIV and Hepatitis B and C. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the blood and blood products which are used therapeutically are safe.

Medical technology has a major role to play in ensuring the safe and efficient collection of blood and blood products for both patients and donors. A variety of medical devices are used in the collection, testing, processing and storing of blood. These include the bags to gather and store donated bloods, anticoagulant solutions to stop the blood from clotting and the apparatus to separate it into its component parts. There are also the diagnostics and treatments to detect and deactivate viruses or bacteria, and the storage equipment to keep the products in optimal conditions.

The medical technology industry is pivotal in ensuring the widespread availability of safe blood products. Furthermore, the industry is developing products to treat blood to combat emerging pathogens against future risks as a result of global climate change.