Severe national blood shortage may force doctors to augment patient care, officials say



"The current situation ... is the most concerning I have seen in my career."

As the COVID-19 pandemic comes to a close, more Americans are seeking medical care -- only to find roadblocks to long-awaited elective surgeries or unexpected traumatic injuries: a critical national shortage of blood.

In June, the blood supply dropped to "red" level, indicating dangerously low supply at blood centers nation-wide, according to the AABB Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism.

Donated blood products have always been in high demand in the United States. But now, doctors say, the crisis has reached a new, critical turning point, forcing some to triage medical care, reserving blood products only for the sickest patients.

According to the Red Cross, the supplier of 40% of the nation's blood supply, nearly 7,000 units of platelets and 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed daily. On average, an American needs blood products every two seconds.

Patients with certain diseases, such as sickle cell disease and cancer, may require frequent transfusions throughout their lives. A single-car accident victim, per the Red Cross, can require up to 100 units of blood.

"From a personal experience, as someone who has worked in the transfusion medicine field for many years, the current situation with the blood supply is the most concerning I have seen in my career," said Dr. Claudia Cohn, chief medical officer of the American Association of Blood Banks. pg

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent rise in violent crime has put additional pressure on an already strained blood supply. In comparison to 2019, the demand for blood has climbed by 10% in hospitals with trauma centers and by more than five times in other facilities that provide transfusions, according to the Red Cross.

Now that pandemic restrictions are easing, more patients are returning to the hospital and rescheduling surgeries and medical procedures that were postponed during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the prevalence of gunshot wounds, while slightly lower since the height of the pandemic, remains increased compared to pre-COVID numbers.

In the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the incidence of gunshot wounds is "significantly higher than it was prior to COVID," said Dr. Babak Sarani, director of trauma and acute care surgery and co-medical director of critical care at the George Washington University Hospital.

"The types of traumas that require transfusions are persistently remaining up," Sarani said.

The newfound demand is outpacing the already depleted supply. In a typical year, school blood drives contribute a significant amount of blood to the national patient population. Meanwhile, fewer Americans were available to donate blood during lockdown.