ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, much attention in the clinical setting has focused on alterna tives to whole-blood transfusions. The first attempt was directed at component therapy and replacement of the specific component of whole blood (erythro cytes, thrombocyte, leukocytes, plasma, and plasma fractionate coagulation concentrates) indicated by clinical findings. In the 1970s, driven more by sup ply and the availability of rare units, autologous blood and frozen red blood cell (RBC) programs gained acceptance; however, by the end of the 1970s, cost pressured many blood banks to abandoned their frozen blood programs. The fear of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the early 1980s shifted attention from cost to safety.
