Making whole blood available in austere medical environments: donor performance and safety

Abstract

Donating blood after a week of strenuous physical activity is feasible for Special Forces personnel. While the donation results in some diminishment of VO2max , a 3.6%-11.2% decrease in relative VO2max , and in elevation of submaximal HR levels highly trained personnel continue to perform well both at both sub-maximal and maximal effort levels.