red blood cells

Red blood cells are cellular components of human blood responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to tissues and facilitating carbon dioxide removal. They contain hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that binds oxygen. In medicine, transfused red blood cells (often as "packed red blood cells") are used to treat acute or chronic anemia and acute hemorrhage by improving tissue oxygenation. Red cell transfusions are also indicated in conditions such as sickle cell disease (for stroke prevention), severe trauma with major bleeding, and symptomatic anemia unresponsive to other therapies. Red blood cell products are prepared from donated whole blood by removing plasma; they may be filtered to reduce leukocytes before storage. Transfused units must be closely matched for compatibility and carry a risk of rare but serious reactions[4][9].

Other names

erythrocytesRBCspacked red blood cellsPRBCs