When is whole blood used instead of separated blood components?

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Blood transfusion — blood transfusion Depiction of a direct blood transfusion performed in 1882.

Whole blood is rarely used for transfusions because most medical needs are better met by specific blood components. It is primarily reserved for cases involving severe acute blood loss or trauma.12

Because most collected blood is processed to obtain individual components, whole blood is not always readily available and has a limited shelf life of up to 35 days after collection.1