This book is made up of articles from a special series on transfusion therapy of the journal Annals of Blood. The transfusion of blood and blood components is the most common tissue transplant performed. More than 118 million blood donations are made annually in the world. Blood transfusion is generally a safe procedure, but the human source, the necessity for storage, the requirement for matching the component to the recipient in most instances, and the large number of steps from collection to infusion can introduce dangerous risks for the transfusion recipient. Additionally, regulatory agencies, commercial interests, non-profit advocacy organizations, and health care facilities all play significant roles in making blood or a blood component available for transfusion.

In this context, the publication by the Annals of Blood of a 22-chapter compendium addressing the principles and practices of transfusion therapies is a timely addition to the field. While many unanswered questions remain, there have been recent advancements that have improved the safety and efficacy of transfusion therapies. This book looks at the broad scope of transfusion medicine practices.