The Red Cross says a rise in the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries requiring blood products over recent months have depleted the nation’s blood inventory.
Hospitals are responding to an atypically high number of traumas and emergency room visits. In comparison to 2019, the Red Cross has seen red cell demand from hospitals with trauma centers climb by 10% in 2021—more than five times the growth of other facilities that provide transfusions.
Twenty to 40% of trauma deaths that occur after hospital admission involve massive hemorrhaging. In these circumstances, doctors may need hundreds of blood products, depending on the severity of the trauma, to help save a life.
In addition, there is great hospital demand for blood as patients who previously deferred care during the COVID-19 pandemic present with more advanced disease progression, therefore requiring increased blood transfusions. Go to redcross.org to learn how to donate blood.