Collection, transportation and storage of blood during the Great Patriotic War

Introduction. Blood collection technologies were of great importance during the Great Patriotic War. This was due to the need to increase the shelf life, simplify the transportation process and ensure the safety (including the exclusion of bacterial contamination) of transfusions. Aim — to describe the technologies for blood collection and transfusion, alternatives to blood transfusion and measures aimed at organizing the collection and clinical use of blood in the Great Patriotic War. Main findings. This article describes the process of collecting donated blood during the Great Patriotic War. Methods of preparing a donor for the procedure, technological methods at the time of taking blood from primary and repeated donors (anesthesia, intervals between donations, etc.) are shown. Methods for the preparation of citrated blood, preserved blood, cadaveric blood, defibrinated and placental blood are described. The labor-intensive procedure used in those years required a scrupulous attitude to the preparation of equipment and solutions. Marking, storage and transportation of donated blood were of great importance.