Blood the most useful thing to live life often donated by several donors to provide patients a new life. Usually, blood banks store blood, taken from donors. But, a new study shows that those blood samples which were being stored from a long time could increase the harmful amount of iron into the bloodstream of patient’s body.

A recent study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) recommends that FDA(Food and Drug Administration) should reduce the storage period limit from six weeks to five weeks. Although latest research shows transfusing old blood has no impact on patient outcomes but it as not examined on the oldest samples available for transfusions. The real problem arose when they studied on the more than 5 weeks old blood samples. This report first appeared in the journal of EurekAlert.

MD, professor of pathology & cell biology at CUMC and medical director of the clinical laboratories at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Dr.Steven Spitalnik said in a statement,"Our recommendation will be controversial, but we think we have real data to support it".

In United Stated, almost 5million patients receive red blood transfusions each year. It's just become the most common practice performed in hospitalized patients. As old the blood is stored up, it’s blood cells tends to become damaged and as the red blood cell damages, it releases harmful irons. Mail Online report says, US FDA will discard those blood samples which is more than six weeks old.

For their experiment, researchers took 60 healthy volunteers and divide them into six groups. Those volunteer groups were transfused with 1 to 5 or 6-week old blood and then being monitored for 20 hours after transfusions. 7 out of the 9 volunteers could not metabolize their damaged cells who received six weeks old. A large amount of iron found in their bloodstream. On the other hand, a similar response was found in only one volunteer who received five weeks old blood.

Although, none of them were harmed by the transfusions but excess iron can increase blood clots and enhance the risk of infections, according to their previous studies. Dr. Spitalnik thinks that excess iron could lead to serious complications for hospitalized patients.

However, the rate of impact from the six weeks old blood is very small but, since millions of Americans receive blood transfusions every year, even only one percent of difference could affect a large number of patients. It is true fact that 10 to 20 percent of stored blood are more than 5 weeks old. The U.K, the Netherlands, Ireland and National Institutes of Health have limited blood storage to 35 days. Dr. Spitalnik is hopeful that soon it will be achieved throughout the United States without affecting the blood supply.

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