Transfusion Medicine

D. Hughes

Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.

Since the first blood transfusion was carried out on a dog at Oxford University in 1666, the science of transfusion medicine has advanced a great deal. To perform transfusion medicine successfully, there must be an understanding not only of when and how to administer whole blood and its products but also of safe ways of obtaining and potentially storing these blood products. It is vital that blood used for transfusion is collected, processed, stored and used in a way that minimises the chance of any harm occurring to either the recipient or donor.