Blood Bank

The blood bank at Northern Nevada Medical Center provides advanced blood transfusion support for patients in the hospital and at our outpatient clinics. The lab is staffed by certified technologists who work to ensure a safe and rapidly available blood supply that will meet the needs of all our patients. The lab operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with supervision by specially trained medical technologists and by physicians who have extensive experience in blood transfusion therapy. We use the most advanced technical methods for compatibility testing, and our blood supply is provided only by United Blood Services facilities, which are fully licensed by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The blood supply in the United States is subjected to such extensive testing that it is currently regarded as the safest blood transfusion system in the world. Some patients may, however, wish to participate in an autologous blood program, in which they donate their own blood days or weeks before a scheduled surgery. Then at the time of their surgical procedure, they can be transfused with their own blood, thus avoiding many, but not all, risks associated with transfusion.

Our transfusion service lab has made arrangements with FDA-licensed blood centers in the region to enable our patients to participate in such autologous blood programs. Patients who wish to have their own blood available for a scheduled surgery should discuss their interest with their physician, who can counsel them as to whether they would be medically able to donate for themselves. If patients and the physician decide that autologous donations would be appropriate, then patients should contact United Blood Services at 775-329-6451 to obtain the details on how to arrange such donations. It is very important that patients contact the lab before making any arrangements with any donor facility or hospital to schedule donations.

Sometimes a patient cannot donate blood and would prefer to have a family member or a close friend donate blood specifically for their use. The transfusion service lab can also help patients arrange these so-called "directed" or "designated" donations. Again, patients should discuss this with their physician, who must authorize such donations, and then call United Blood Services at 775-329-6451 for information and assistance.