| Article ID: | iaor1994645 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Volume: | 6 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Start Page Number: | 3 |
| End Page Number: | 7 |
| Publication Date: | Jul 1993 |
| Journal: | OR Insight |
| Authors: | Baker B.M. |
| Keywords: | programming: linear |
In modern transfusion therapy, blood donations generally are processed to yield specific blood components rather than being used as whole blood. The components that are obtained from a donation depend on the type of blood pack used for collection. There are several constraints that must be satisfied, such as clinical requirements for the various components, availability of donations and capacity of collection facilities. Linear programming is used to determine the combination of blood pack types that will supply the required components in the most cost-efficient manner.