Blood Transfusion News and Research

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Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based products from one person into the circulatory system of another. Blood transfusions can be life-saving in some situations, such as massive blood loss due to trauma, or can be used to replace blood lost during surgery.

Standard pediatric blood pressure thresholds miss early trauma warning signs

Blood pressure thresholds commonly used to identify dangerously unstable vital signs in children may not signal trouble soon enough after a traumatic injury, according to a national study of more than 230,000 pediatric trauma patients.

9 Sep 2026

Optimized EAP regimen delivers outstanding mobilization effects in multiple myeloma and lymphoma patients

This prospective, multicenter phase II study was conducted across 12 medical institutions in China and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05536154).

27 Aug 2026

Lancet review examines possible amyloid-beta transmission through blood transfusions

A review and opinion piece published in The Lancet and led by UCL (University College London) and UCLH researchers discusses the possibility that blood transfusions may inadvertently transmit harmful brain proteins, and whether additional safety measures are warranted as a precaution whilst further research is conducted to better understand these potential risks.

21 Aug 2026

Intravenous iron before heart surgery cuts transfusion needs

Giving intravenous iron to patients with anemia before heart surgery reduces the need for a red blood transfusion and results in an extra day at home in the first 90 days after surgery, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

19 Aug 2026

Double strategy of blood donation and early screening offers hope for families

Thalassemia management relies on blood donations and prevention strategies, crucial for reducing the disease's impact on families and healthcare systems.

From BGI Genomics 15 Jun 2026

WHO data shows progress and persistent gaps in safe blood supply

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show sustained progress towards safer blood supplies globally but also highlight persistent inequalities in access to safe blood and weaknesses in governance, financing and regulation of blood systems.

12 Jun 2026

Tranexamic acid reduces surgical transfusions without raising clot risks

A landmark clinical trial published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine found that tranexamic acid reduced transfusions across major surgeries without increasing the risk of dangerous blood clots.

10 Jun 2026

Pioneering cell therapy offers hope for advanced liver disease

A new type of cell therapy shows promise as the first treatment for advanced liver disease, following results from a clinical trial.

25 May 2026

Emergency trauma surgery outcomes worse for children in low-income nations

Children who need life‑saving emergency surgery after a serious injury are almost six times more likely to die if in poorer countries than in wealthier ones, according to an international study led by the University of Cambridge.

8 May 2026

New genomic study tracks rare blood disease in children

Aplastic anemia is a rare, life-threatening blood disorder where patients are unable to make enough blood cells due to the immune system's attack on blood stem cells. The condition can progress to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia. A study led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with multiple collaborating institutions, used state-of-the-art genomic techniques to profile 619 children and adults with aplastic anemia.

4 May 2026

Geo-mapping to identify high-need areas for trauma blood delivery

Research shows geomapping can pinpoint trauma hotspots, optimizing prehospital blood supply deployment and potentially saving lives in urgent care scenarios.

21 Apr 2026

CAR T therapy induces remission in multiple autoimmune diseases

For the first time, scientists have used a cutting-edge cell therapy called CAR-T to treat a patient with three different life-threatening autoimmune diseases that had resisted years of treatment.

9 Apr 2026

Requests for “unvaccinated” blood lead to delays and patient harm

The trend for unvaccinated blood donations raises concerns about patient safety and resource efficiency, emphasizing the need for better transfusion protocols.

6 Apr 2026

Doctors urge smarter use of universal donor blood amid shortages

As blood banks across the U.S. report dangerously low supplies of O-negative blood (red blood cells) - commonly called the "universal donor" - anesthesiologists are calling for increased donation and changes in how hospitals use the "universal donor" blood type, according to a new Innovation in Practice article published online in Anesthesiology Open, an official journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

19 Mar 2026

Highlighting the global "care gap" in life-threatening injuries

A new international study published in The Lancet eClinicalMedicine has mapped global blood transfusion practices for life-threatening abdominal injuries, highlighting significant variation in care worldwide and opportunities for health systems to learn from one another.

4 Mar 2026

UK air ambulance availability improves yet critical gaps continue

Despite significant improvements in the availability of 24/7 emergency air ambulance services (HEMS) across the UK since 2009, persistent regional gaps remain, finds research published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

3 Feb 2026

TXA reduces the need for blood transfusion in patients undergoing high-risk non-cardiac surgery

When hospitals were randomly assigned to treat patients undergoing higher-risk non-cardiac surgery with tranexamic acid (TXA) or a placebo, patients who received TXA needed significantly fewer blood transfusions and saw no increase in potentially life-threatening blood clots (thrombosis) after 90 days of follow-up, according to research presented at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition.

9 Dec 2025

Quality improvement project dramatically boosts iron deficiency screening in pregnancy

Within a year of initiation, a multidisciplinary project to improve screening and treatment for iron deficiency in pregnancy resulted in a sixfold rise in screening rates for iron deficiency in pregnant patients, a 20-fold rise in the number of intravenous (IV) iron infusions, and a significant improvement in median hemoglobin levels.

7 Dec 2025

Understanding how and when AI technology could help clinicians save lives

While artificial intelligence technology is increasingly being used - formally and informally - to support medical diagnoses, its utility in emergency medical settings remains an open question.

20 Nov 2025

Blood group A linked to a higher risk of primary biliary cholangitis

Findings indicate blood group A elevates the risk of primary biliary cholangitis, suggesting ABO group analysis could aid in autoimmune liver disease diagnosis.

19 Nov 2025