MDS experts, Dr Rafael Bejar and Dr Casey O’Connell describe how often a patient might need a blood transfusion for MDS-related anemia. Generally, two units of packed red blood cells (RBCs) can last a patient for four weeks. Unfortunately, over time there are factors that can reduce the success or longevity of blood transfusions in some patients. For example, some patients can develop antibodies to the transfused RBCs, thus requiring blood transfusions every two weeks instead of four. The experts also address the opposite case, where some patients with only mild anemia can function on a single unit of blood and may not need a transfusion for a couple of months.

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