Basic facts about blood transfusion

Blood transfusion, i.e. transfusion medicine covers numerous activities, from informing the public about the need of patients for blood, blood components and derivatives, motivation of citizens to donate blood, clinical and laboratory selection of blood donors, preparation, tetsting, processing, storage and distribution of blood components and performing required laboratory tests as a precondition of safe transfusion.

From the beginning of the 17th century, there have been many attempts to treat patients with blood transfusion. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that conditions for the administration of successful and safe transfusion were made.

Scientific background for the use of blood transfusion was created following several extremely significant scientific discoveries in the beginning of the 20th century:

·                       Discovery of the ABO system blood groups (Landsteiner, 1900)

·                       Discovery of the citrate used as anticoagulant - Hustin, 1914, which enabled blood preservation

·                       Discovery og the Rhesus system blood groups (Levin and Stetson, 1939)

·                       Implementation of the anti-human globulin - Coombs` test (Coombs, Mourant and Race, 1945).

Continuous, timely and efficient supply of health care establishments with safe blood and blood products (components and derivatives) is the most significant precondiiton of the functioning of each country`s health care system. It implies that the number of voluntary blood donors (VBDs) is the issue of the utmost public interest and provision of sufficient quantities of blood and medications derived from blood is the countriy`s national treasure.

The requirements for blod and blood products

The need for blood and blood products depends on the number of inhabitants, number of hospital beds and types of medical services provided in the country. Plan of the actual requirements for blood is made according to the annual consumption of blood in the previous period.

The requirements in Serbia are approximately 40 blood donors per 1000 inhabitants (4%), whereas the actual percentage of blood donors has been around 3% for years. 

In accordance with the Act on Transfusion Medicine, potential blood donors, citizens of the Republic of
Serbia, are required to present a persona, identification document having photoe, signature and
identification number when admitted to donate blood.
Potential blood donors, foreign citizens, residing in the Republic of Serbia over 6 months, are required to
present an additional document confirming that they are temporary residents of Serbia.