Blood, Transfusion, and Blood Banking—History
Paul Offit, MD is professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and this piece is about his new book: “Every three seconds, someone in the world is transfused with a stranger’s blood. In the United States alone, 16 million units of blood are transfused into 10 million people every year. Nowadays, for those who require a blood transfusion, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. But as I detail in my new book, You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccinations—The Long, Risky History of Medical Innovations, progress toward safe and effective blood transfusions, as with other therapies, requires risks that sometimes cost patients their lives. It can be tempting to try to avoid risk altogether, but the truth is that there are no risk-free choices—only choices to take different risks.” MORE
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