Abstract: Objective To investigate the current inventory management status of red blood cells (RBCs) in prefecture and municipal blood stations in China. Methods Collect the data of the qualified RBCs laid in banks, the average daily stock of RBCs, the blood distribution of RBCs per 1 000 population, and the average shelf life of RBCs between 2017 and 2021 from 26 blood stations in China, and statistical analysis were carried out. Results From 2017 to 2021, the qualified RBCs in 25 blood stations achieved average growth annually with a 5.9% median. The average daily RBCs inventory is between -30%~30% year-on-year among 11 blood stations, and >30% or<-30% year-on-year among 14 blood stations. The average annual growth rate of RBCs supply per 1 000 population among 20 blood stations was increased and the median was 5.09%. The average RBCs shelf life of 26 blood stations were between 7.11~17.66 days, and the overall average was 12.52 days. Between 2017 and 2019, there were expired RBCs produced from 8 blood stations, from 13 blood stations in 2020, and 9 in 2021 Conclusion Recent years, while the overall trend of quantity of RBCs prepared and supply by municipal blood station in China is on the rise, the inventory can maintain relatively fresh and deal with any emergencies situation. However, the fluctuation of daily average inventory and the expired events of red blood cell components suggest that there is still room for improvement in accurate inventory management.

Key words: Red blood cells, Inventory management, Prefecture-level blood station, Blood components shelf life, RBCs supply per 1 000 population