Red blood cell the body right away and only the plasma is collected. Some athletes have tried to improve their performance by blood doping: first about 1 litre of their blood is extracted, then the red blood cells are isolated, frozen and stored, to be reinjected shortly before the competition. (Red blood cells can be conserved for 5 weeks at , or over 10 years using cryoprotectants) This practice is hard to detect but may endanger the human cardiovascular system which is not equipped to deal with blood of the resulting higher viscosity. Another method of blood doping involves injection with erythropoietin in
Neonatal red cell transfusion baby (e.g. wristband). Paedipacks are multiple aliquots made from one adult blood donation. By using paedipacks, the baby is exposed to blood from fewer blood donors. ABO blood grouping and screening for antibodies in neonates differs from blood grouping in adults and older children. Any antibodies detected are the mother's antibodies rather than the baby's. Therefore, any donor blood given to the baby must be ABO and D compatible with both mother and baby; and antigen-negative for any clinically significant maternal antibodies. Necrotising enterocolitis may occur after a red cell transfusion in neonates, although there is an association between the