ABSTRACT
The scope of transfusion medicine can be separated into two definable areas of activity (Fig. 1.1). First, there are those activities concerned with the manufac ture o f blood products. These processes occur mostly in Community Blood Centers or Fractionation plants. The ‘source material’ is obtained from healthy human subjects, known as blood donors. This part o f transfusion medicine is concerned with the collection, processing, and testing o f blood donations and the mainte nance of an inventory o f blood products prior to shipping to sites o f transfusion. The kinds of activities are similar to those which occur in standard pharmaceuti cal houses. Emphasis is on the potency, safety, efficacy, and purity o f the manufac tured blood products.
