It is estimated 4.5 million Americans will require blood transfusions each year. Blood transfusions play a critical role in the treatment of emergency trauma, cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood conditions.
In celebration of our customers in the blood banking industry, we’ve put together a chronological timeline of some of the most influential technologies and discoveries in blood banking and transfusion science.
1628: English physician William Harvey discovers the system of blood circulation in the human body, accurately identifying the relationship between arteries, veins, and the heart. Harvey’s theory of blood circulation would grow to replace the prevailing belief that blood was manufactured in the liver to replace blood molecules that were consumed during regular use of muscles.
1818 or 1829: James Blundell, an English physician, conducts the first successful blood transfusion between humans. After seeing many patients die during childbirth from hemorrhages, Blundell determined to find a solution. After years of experimentation, he was able to successfully draw 4 ounces of blood from a patient’s husband and deliver it to the patient using a syringe. Blundell’s research was published in the Lancet in 1829, along with two transfusion instruments of his own design: the impellor and the gravitator.
1840: Samuel Armstrong Lane, overseen by Dr. James Blundell, conducts the first successful whole blood transfusion attempt to treat hemophilia.
1901: Karl Landsteiner discovers the first three human blood groups: A, B, and O (at the time referred to as “C”). Up until the point of this discovery, it was widely believed that all humans possessed similar blood. Landsteiner made the discovery when mixing blood from different people in test tubes and observing clumping (agglutination) between bloods of different donors. By observing which bloods agglutinated with one another, Landsteiner was able to identify three distinct groups. He was later awarded the Nobel Prize for his work. The following year, two students of Landsteiner, Adriano Sturli and Alfred von Decastello, discovered the fourth blood type, AB.
1907: Ludvig Hektoen posits the possible danger associated with blood transfusions could be avoided by the selection of a donor whose blood type did not agglutinate with the blood type of the recipient, becoming the first to suggest pre-transfusion cross-matching. Later that year, Reuben Ottenberg performs the first successful transfusion using cross-matching and discovers the universal utility of blood type O (formerly C).
1914: The development of anticoagulants allows blood to be stored without clotting for longer periods of time. Anticoagulants used for this purpose saw widespread use in emergency transfusions throughout World War I.
1915: Richard Lewisohn uses sodium citrate as an anticoagulant. This enables the advent of indirect blood transfusions. Previously, blood had to be taken directly from donors and immediately transfused. The advent of anticoagulants allowed to be used hours or even days after being drawn from a donor. In the same year, Richard Weil demonstrates the feasibility of refrigerated storage of anticoagulated blood.
1932: The first blood bank is established at Leningrad Hospital.
1937: Dr. Bernard Fantus and his team open the first blood bank in the United States in Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL. Fantus used cutting edge techniques to preserve blood for a record 10 days after donation.
1940: Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener discover the Rh factor blood group and, with the work of Philip Levine and R.E. Stetson, is soon recognized as a significant cause of transfusion reactions. Also, the United States government establishes a nationwide blood-collection program.
1947: The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) is founded to share information and best practices and disseminate advances in transfusion medicine. AABB, now the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, is one of the most influential authorities in blood banking and transfusion medicine.
1950: Carl Walter and W.P. Murphy introduce plastic blood collection bags. These bags replaced breakable glass bottles, allowing for safer collection, storage, and preparation of multiple blood components from a single unit of blood.
1960: Alan Solomon and J.L. Fahey report the first therapeutic plasmapheresis procedure. This process allows plasma to be separated into whole blood and red blood cells.
1965: Platelet concentrates are introduced for patients with cancer and other hematologic disorders.
1969: Drs. Scott Murphy and Frank Gardner demonstrate room temperature storage slows the rate at which transfused platelets are cleared from circulation. This increases the effectiveness of platelet transfusions but decreases viable storage time to 5-7 days.
1972: Apheresis technology allows the separation of blood components, allowing donors to donate specific components, and returning unused blood cells back to circulation.
1977: Helmer Scientific is founded and begins manufacturing Platelet Rotators designed to provide continuous, gentle motion to prolong platelet viability.
1981: The first case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is reported.
1984: Platelet incubators are introduced by Helmer Scientific to provide controlled-temperature storage to extend the storage life of donated platelets. Side-to-side agitation and flatbed agitators are introduced to increase storage efficiency.
1985: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) becomes the first FDA approved blood-screening test to detect HIV antibodies to make transfusion safer for recipients.
1980s and 1990s: Further advancements are made in blood-testing for transfusion safety including testing for Hepatitis and HIV.
1999: Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT), a testing technology that detects viral genetic material, becomes widely used as part of the FDA Investigational New Drug program to identify the presence of transfusion-transmissible diseases to improve transfusion safety.
2003: NAT for HIV and Hepatitis C are licensed by the Food and Drug Administration. Also, the FDA releases revised recommendations for assessing donor suitability in response to increasing number of cases of West Nile Virus.
2004: Helmer Scientific releases the i.Series® Platelet System, which included the i.Center® integrated monitoring system.
2005: The FDA clears apheresis platelets for storage and transfusion up to 7 days when tested with a microbial detection system release test. In the same year, the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research develops a compliance program for inspecting human cells, tissues, and cellular tissue-based products.
2014: The FDA approves the first pathogen inactivation systems for platelets and plasma in the United States. The system works by using a combination of a photosensitizer and an ultraviolet A light to inactivate pathogens in blood components further increasing the safety of blood transfusions.
2018: The Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for the U.S. military to use freeze-dried plasma in combat settings. Freeze-dried plasma, which has a two-year shelf life and can be stored at room temperature, provides substantially fewer logistical hurdles than traditional room-temperature plasma and can is expected to help soldiers with critical combat injuries.
2020-present: Additional research into transfusion medicine continue to move toward improvements in efficiency, safety, viability, and therapeutic success. Key areas of interest include hematopoietic stem cell donation, advanced cell therapies, self-sufficiency in blood products, donor and patient blood management, platelet cold storage, and more.
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Helmer Scientific: A Trusted Partner in Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine
We are proud to have served customers in blood banking and transfusion medicine for almost 50 years by designing, manufacturing, and delivering innovative solutions for the storage and processing of blood and blood products.
Our line of platelet incubators are the industry standard in the safe and efficient storage of platelet products.
To learn more about Helmer’s premium solutions for blood banks, visit our website, contact your local Helmer representative, or request a quote.
