[Blood stock management by computers in a transfusion center].

In large blood Transfusion Centers, blood stock management is quite difficult because of the numerous daily movements, the short storage time of blood products, the multiplicity of sample types, and, indeed, of blood antigens, etc. A data processing system has been established in the Blood Transfusion Center ofLille (170 000 bottles a year). From information codified in collection and in distribution departments, the computer is able to give to the authorities essential daily decision elements such as the knowledge of :--the exact profile of each collection (1 119 in 1974),--statistics of blood distributions,--available stock, classified by storage time, volume, blood group, etc. The computer contribution from the security point of view, as well as its utilization in phenotyped blood research is described here.