A recent study by the American Association of Blood Banks and the National Blood Data Resource Center has shown that blood donations are on a slight decline while blood usage in hospitals is rising. The study predicted that within the next few years, if the trends continue, we may have a difficult time finding blood for patients who need it in many communities. In the American Red Cross, the number of blood donations has been rising slightly over the last few years. And we have major donor recruitment initiatives to try and increase this rate of rise to help meet the needs of the patients in the communities we serve. Currently there is no artificial blood or blood substitute licensed in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Much research is ongoing in an attempt to find a useful artificial blood.
Some clinical trials are currently ongoing looking at hemoglobin-based blood substitutes for potential use in a number of different types of medical situations. Some research has been promising. But we still don't have a product that is ready for use in hospitals today. The volunteer donation is an additional level of safety to blood supply. Incentives to donate blood are not allowed in a volunteer donor program.