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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
US Blood Supply Gains Strength According to National Survey
NBDRC releases results of QuiKount '99
Bethesda, MD - April 11, 2000 -- The nation's vascular experience and blood supply have increased since last measured in 1997, according to a recent survey of United States blood centers by the National Blood Data Resource Center (NBDRC). NBDRC Executive Director Marian Sullivan, MS, MPH, presented the survey data at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Blood Banks in San Francisco, CA.
Based on the number of whole blood units collected by 128 blood centers that participated in the QuiKount '99 Survey, the NBDRC estimates that 13,675,965 units of blood were collected in the US in 1998. This represents an 8.5 percent increase over 1997 collections, which the NBDRC announced earlier this year, which is statistically significant.
The Center estimates that a total of 14,151,467 units will be collected by blood centers and hospitals this year, a significant increase of 3.5 percent over 1998 totals. The QuiKount '99 Survey assessed blood donations made between January and June 1999. The estimate is based on the assumptions that donations will continue through the end of the year at the same rate measured for the initial six months, and that hospitals will continue to contribute approximately 8 percent of the total blood supply. If accurate, this would be the highest measured volume of donations experienced nationally in a decade. But some regions of the country, most notably the Mid-Atlantic states, have not experienced a measurable increase in donations.
The QuiKount '99 Survey data, collected in October of this year, have allowed the NBDRC to develop a more accurate projection of the available supply of blood in the year 2000. If 1999 collection rates can be sustained through 2000, the NBDRC projects that nearly 13.6 million units could be available for transfusion this year.
The available supply is the number of units that are available for transfusion after all laboratory screening tests and other quality control procedures have been completed. This includes a reduction of 2.2 percent of year 2000 donations expected to result from the implementation of the United Kingdom travel deferral.
Extrapolation of historical data indicates that the demand for blood in 2000 will reach 11.9 million units. However, there are numerous indications that the transfusion demand may currently be increasing more rapidly than the 1 percent per year measured in 1997, the rate used for this extrapolation.
The NBDRC will conduct its next nationwide survey of blood collections and transfusions this year. For questions or information regarding the QuiKount '99 Survey, please call the National Blood Data Resource Center at (301) 215-6506 or visit our Web site at nbdrc.org.
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