How many blood transfusions can you have

This can depend on the reason for the transfusion. One study from showed that people with cancer and anemia reported a significant increase in their sense of well-being and had improved hemoglobin counts immediately after receiving a transfusion of red blood cells. However, if the person has lost blood due to a traumatic injury, the benefits are likely to take longer to show. It will depend on the amount of blood lost and any other health issues.

In this case, the person may need more than one transfusion, as well. The duration of the benefits depends on the reason for the transfusion. We explore some specifics below. When a person needs blood due to a traumatic injury or during surgery, the benefits tend to last.

This is because the transfusion replaces lost blood. If a person has a long-term illness, they will likely need further transfusions. The length of time before the next transfusion depends on the health issue and factors specific to the person. Some people with myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow disorder that can lead to a form of anemia, for example, may need a transfusion every 2 weeks , while others need them every few months. Overall, once a person starts having transfusions, the intervals between tend to become shorter over time.

One study found that people with cancer and anemia experienced significant improvements from transfusions and that the improvements lasted for about 15 days.

How many transfusions can a person have? A person might need a transfusion if they:. The circulatory system of the average, healthy adult contains about 1. This is 10 units. They may lose consciousness as the oxygen supply to their brain falls.

Learn more about blood volume here. Not all blood transfusions are the same. The difference lies in what component of blood a person receives. The most common types are:. Whole blood transfusions are less common.

Separating blood into its different parts makes it possible for more people to benefit from a single unit of blood. According to the American Cancer Society, each unit of red blood cells takes around 2 hours to transfuse. Transfusions usually start slowly and should take no more than 4 hours.

Transfusions of plasma or platelets take less time. We give more information from a different source in the table above. First, the doctor takes a blood sample and runs a complete blood count test to confirm what sort of transfusion the person needs. Using a needle, the doctor inserts an intravenous IV line into a blood vessel. They may be less likely to recommend a blood transfusion because your body is accustomed to a lower blood count. Blood transfusions can be limited for a number of reasons aimed at keeping you safe.

Blood is preserved with a compound called citrate to keep it from clotting. Exposure to citrate from repeated transfusions in a short amount of time can cause your potassium levels to go very high, while your calcium and magnesium levels dip. All of these changes can affect your heart.

Administering a massive transfusion is associated with a number of potential complications. A massive transfusion is classified as more than 4 units of packed red blood cells in an hour, or more than 10 units of packed red cells in 24 hours.

Potential complications include:. However, research has shown the more blood given, the less likely a good outcome. This is why doctors rely on transfusion parameters to decide when to use a blood transfusion. An exchange transfusion replaces some of your blood with donor blood.

A transfusion reaction is when your body has an adverse response to a blood transfusion. Learn how transfusion reactions occur and how to minimize…. Blood banks are reporting a critical shortage of blood supplies. They say they have safety measures in place to make donors safe. Learn more about platelet-rich plasma PRP injections, including what they're used for, how much they cost, and what to expect.

For platelet transfusions, 6 to 10 units from different donors called random donor platelets are combined and given to adult patients at one time they are called pooled platelets. Platelets can also be collected by apheresis. This is sometimes called plateletpheresis. In this procedure, the donor is hooked up to a machine that removes blood, and keeps just the platelets. The rest of the blood cells and plasma are returned to the donor. Platelets collected in this way are called single donor platelets.

You can find more information about this in Donating Blood. Cancer patients may need platelet transfusions if their bone marrow is not making enough. This happens when platelet-producing bone marrow cells are damaged by chemo or radiation therapy or when they are crowded out of the bone marrow by cancer cells.

A normal platelet count is about , to , platelets per microliter mcL of blood, depending on the lab. Doctors consider giving a platelet transfusion when the platelet count drops to this level or even at higher levels if a patient needs surgery or is bleeding. If there are no signs of bleeding, a platelet transfusion may not be needed even if the platelet count is low. Different medicines can be used to help with low platelets depending on the cause of the low platelets.

Cryoprecipitate, or "cryo," is the name given to the small fraction of plasma that separates out precipitates when plasma is frozen and then thawed in the refrigerator. It has several of the clotting factors found in plasma, but they are concentrated in a smaller amount of liquid. A unit of whole blood has only a small amount of cryoprecipitate, so about 8 to 10 units from different donors are pooled together for one transfusion.

Chemotherapy can damage cells in the bone marrow, and patients getting chemo often have low white blood cell WBC counts. The normal range for WBCs is 4, to 10, per mcL of blood. White blood cells, especially the type called neutrophils NEW-trow-fills , are very important in fighting infections. When patients have low WBC counts, doctors carefully watch the number of neutrophils or the absolute neutrophil count ANC. People with neutropenia are at risk for serious infections , even more so if the count stays low for more than a week.

White blood cell transfusions are given rarely. Research does not show that giving white blood cell transfusions lowers the risk of death or infection in people with low white blood cell counts or white blood cells that are impaired. Instead of transfusing WBCs, doctors now commonly use drugs called colony-stimulating factors or growth factors to help the body make its own.

These drugs stimulate the body to make neutrophils and other types of granulocytes. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team. Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing. November Accessed at www. Babic A, Kaufman RM. Principles of platelet transfusion therapy. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingstone; Cata JP.

Perioperative anemia and blood transfusions in patients with cancer: when the problem, the solution, and their combination are each associated with poor outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Granulocyte transfusions for treating infections in people with neutropenia or neutrophil dysfunction. Principles of red blood cell transfusion.

Transfusion requirements in surgical oncology patients: a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Domen RE.