<Li> Hypocalcemia can also occur with massive blood transfusions due to the complex of citrate with serum calcium . </Li> <Li> Blood doping is often used by athletes, drug addicts or military personnel for reasons such as to increase physical stamina, to fake a drug detection test or simply to remain active and alert during the duty - times respectively . However a lack of knowledge and insufficient experience can turn a blood transfusion into a sudden death . For example, when individuals run the frozen blood sample directly in their veins this cold blood rapidly reaches the heart, where it disturbs the heart's original pace leading to cardiac arrest and sudden death . </Li> <P> Globally around 85 million units of red blood cells are transfused in a given year . </P> <P> In the United States, blood transfusions were performed nearly 3 million times during hospitalizations in 2011, making it the most common procedure performed . The rate of hospitalizations with a blood transfusion nearly doubled from 1997, from a rate of 40 stays to 95 stays per 10,000 population . It was the most common procedure performed for patients 45 years of age and older in 2011, and among the top five most common for patients between the ages of 1 and 44 years . </P>

What is the most common transfused component of blood