RATE OF BLOOD FLOW THROUGH STANDARD GAGE NEEDLES UNDER PRESSURE

The recent war coupled the great need for the rapid transfusion of blood with the need for readily available supplies of blood and plasma. The use of large needles and methods of pumping these fluids intravenously under positive pressure resulted in the transfusion of previously unheard of quantities at almost unbelievable rates of flow. Most civilian hospitals are well aware of these methods, and several articles have been published with standard technics. Reports of the use of large amounts of blood are now a daily occurrence.

Except in emergency rooms where treatment for traumatic accidents is frequent, the main need for the rapid transfusion of large quantities of blood exists almost solely on the delivery floor and in the operating room. It is still difficult, even in many well equipped institutions, to obtain the apparatus for supplying blood under pressure and needles of sufficient size for the rapid transfusion of