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. 2021 Sep;61 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S1-S10.
doi: 10.1111/trf.16449. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Has the trend of declining blood transfusions in the United States ended? Findings of the 2019 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey

Jefferson M Jones  1 , Mathew R P Sapiano  1 , Sanjida Mowla  1   2 , Dorothy Bota  1   3 , James J Berger  4 , Sridhar V Basavaraju  1
Affiliations

Has the trend of declining blood transfusions in the United States ended? Findings of the 2019 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey

Jefferson M Jones et al. Transfusion. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: Previous iterations of National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) have demonstrated declines in blood collection and transfusion in the United States since 2008, including declines of 3.0% and 6.1% in red blood cell (RBC) collections and transfusions between 2015 and 2017, respectively. This study describes results of the 2019 NBCUS.

Methods: The survey was distributed to all US blood collection centers, all hospitals performing ≥1000 surgeries annually, and a 40% random sample of hospitals performing 100-999 surgeries annually. Weighting and imputation were used to generate national estimates for units of blood and components collected, distributed, transfused, and outdated.

Results: In 2019, 11,590,000 RBC units were collected (95% confidence interval [CI], 11,151,000-12,029,000 units), a 5.1% decrease compared with 2017, while 10,852,000 RBC units were transfused (95% CI, 10,444-11,259 units), a 2.5% increase from 2017. Between 2017 and 2019, platelet distributions (2,508,000 units; 95% CI, 2,375,000-2,641,000 units) decreased by 2.0%, and plasma distributions (2,679,000 units; 95% CI, 2,525,000-2,833,000 units) decreased by 16.5%. During the same time period, platelet transfusions (2,243,000 units; 95% CI, 1,846,000-2,147,000 units) increased by 15.8% and plasma transfusions (2,185,000 units; 95% CI, 2,068,000-2,301,000 units) decreased by 8.0%.

Conclusion: Utilization of RBC in the United States might have reached a nadir. Between 2017 and 2019, RBC collections declined while RBC transfusions did not significantly change, suggesting a narrowing between blood supply and demand. Monitoring national blood collection and utilization data is integral to understanding trends in blood supply safety and availability.

Keywords: blood components; blood donation; blood transfusion.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram depicting identification, stratification, sampling, exclusion, and recategorization of 2019 National Blood Collection and use survey respondents. AHA, American Hospital Association
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Trends in (A) RBC distributions and transfusions, (B) RBC units outdated in blood centers and hospitals, and (C) RBC collections and transfusion per 1000 population
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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