Blood collections by community blood centers, 1988 through 1992

BACKGROUND: The provision of a safe and sufficient supply of blood is critical to patient care. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A survey was conducted of the blood collection activity of the 189 community blood centers operating in the United States from 1988 through 1992. Data were analyzed by source of the donation (allogeneic or autologous), by center's collection volume, and by geographic region. Total collection figures were compared to historical blood collection activity since 1970. RESULTS: A total of 12.31 million units of blood were collected in 1992, an increase of 2.6 percent over the total number of units collected in 1988. For the 5-year period (1988-1992), total collections increased at a compound annual growth rate of 0.6 percent. The collection of allogeneic blood units declined by 0.2 percent annually, while that of autologous units increased by 23.2 percent annually. Autologous blood units accounted for 5.7 percent of total collections in 1992. Nationally, 48 units were collected per 1000 people in 1992, although substantial geographic variation (range, 38–64 units/1000) was observed across nine US census regions. CONCLUSION: The data from this study provide evidence that the total supply of blood grew more slowly from 1988 through 1992 than in the years before 1988.