Physician Assistant -- In the United States each day, people receive lifesaving blood transfusions for medical and surgical conditions. According to the National Blood Data Resource Center (NBDRC), about 13.9 million units of whole blood were collected in the United States in 1999. The NBDRC also states that hospitals transfused 12.4 million units of whole blood and red blood cells (erythrocytes) to 4.5 million patients in the same year.
