Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 2/8/2011

Question
Ms Dana

After a Human Being is declared Dead by a Doctor/Physician, can we utilize the Blood collected immediately after death, later to be used for Blood Transfusion ?

example :

Dead man's blood is collected i.e the Dead man is the Donor is say A+ve blood group used by other living beings blood acceptors having A+ve blood group ?

Note : We are not taking case of a Dead Man's Post mortem body taken for investigation and Blood analysis is performed where we find that the alcohol was found in his blood sample and that was the cause of his death as told by the doctor's but taking the case that the blood of a dead man can it be used for blood transfusion later by living human beings ?

Thanks & Regards,
Prashant S Akerkar

Answer
Dear Prashant,

I am neither a physician nor a phlebotomist.  But I suspect that very shortly after death, the blood begins to congeal and would be entirely unsuitable for transfusion.  Once the blood stops flowing, it begins to deteriorate rapidly in the absence of oxygen, and especially if it is not kept very cold.

Dana