Blood Bank

A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper testing is performed to reduce the risk of transfusion related events. It is important for a blood bank to pass all the eligibility guidelines as mandated by the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. The safety and reliability should also be a consideration too. This includes compatibility testing for transfusion and may include blood donation processing, depending on the capabilities of the facility.