Volume in 1 unit of blood?

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Specializes in Acute Medicine/ Palliative.

Can anyone tell me? I assume it is standard. thanks in advance!

Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.

Actually I have seen quite a bit of fluctuation. It all has to do with how full the unit bag is. I have seen units with as little as 300cc's, and others that have nearly 400.

Average we see in PRBC's is 350cc's, but I always double check!(and so does another nurse per policy)

Specializes in Critical Care.

We average and say a unit is 350ml.

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in Med-Tele, ICU.

Volume at our hospital is 350ml

Depends on whether you're talking about whole blood or PRBC's (or something else). A blood donor gives usually between 450-500 mL of whole blood at the collection site, depending on the site's SOP, the donor's size, and the speed of the collection (may be a little light if the flow is too slow or stops). In the lab, they usually separate the components and you end up with 300-350 mL of red cells usually, as the other posters stated. Hardly anyone gives whole blood anymore.

Specializes in Open Heart/ Trauma/ Sx Stepdown/ Tele.

At my facility, a volume of prbc's equals 250ml wave.gif.f76ccbc7287c56e63c3d7e6d800ab6c

The blood bank in our hospital always marked the volume on each unit.

Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.

Hi

Bags vary. I just finished running the second unit of PRBC's on a pt. It contained 278 ml blood; The first unit had over 400l ml..

It is marked on our bags how much is in them.

Mary Ann

Specializes in ER, IR, Endoscopy.
nursemary9 said:
Hi

Bags vary. I just finished running the second unit of PRBC's on a pt. It contained 278 ml blood; The first unit had over 400l ml..

It is marked on our bags how much is in them.

Mary Ann

At my hospital, it is marked on the bag how much is in it.

Don't they add additional fluid in the lab sometimes for preservation purposes? Someone once told me that but I don't know for sure. I think they also add a perservative chemical.

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