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Blood Bank Safety: Important Patient Information

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: July 15, 2025

Prior to heart valve surgery, patients are faced with many, many, many questions. One of those questions is specific to potential blood loss during the operation. That question is, “Would you like to donate your own blood? Or, use blood from the hospital blood bank?”

I’ve written about this topic of blood banks and heart surgery before.

Specific to blood safety, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is very clear on this topic as it states that the U.S. blood supply is safer than it has ever been thanks to various screening and testing processes in place to support healthcare providers and patients.

Here are some quick facts provided by the CDC:

There are approximately 7 million blood donors and more than 14 million units of blood transfused annually in the United States.
Every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs blood and or platelets.
The U.S. healthcare system needs approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells every day.
The U.S. healthcare system needs nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6.500 units of plasma per day.
Blood products typically have a shelf-life of 42 days.

So you know, I did not donate my own blood prior to my aortic valve replacement operation. Luckily, Dr. Starnes, my surgeon, did not need a transfusion during my surgery. However, given these findings, I would probably change that approach if I was to need heart surgery again.

Written by Adam Pick
- Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

Ron King says on September 17th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Adam,

Thanks for all the helpful information in this blog.

Regarding banking one’s own blood. I asked my surgeon about this prior to my surgery and this is his reply: When a person donates blood, their body gets anemic until the blood is replaced by the body. He said that he wouldn’t let me do that. Maybe some other patients could withstand that strain but my surgeon was very cautious and told me “no”.

I am just 15 days post-surgery ( aortic valve replacement and asending aortic graft to replace an aneurism) and getting stronger every day. I would not have believed that I could feel this good just prior to or immediately after surgery. I am feeling blessed and was well cared for at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.

All best,

Ron