Safety of blood transfusion: the Japanese experience.

There are eight million blood donors in Japan. Blood is donated in units of 200 ml or 400 ml and by haemapheresis. The major problems are concerned with the transmission of infection, particularly with HIV and HTL-1 viral infections, and this leads to rejection of about 8% of donated blood. Recent emphasis has been placed on the automated screening of blood at the time of donation and the more widespread use of patient records to eliminate infected blood.