What Is the AABB?
The Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies ( AABB), formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks, is the international accrediting body and standards authority for blood banks, transfusion services, and related biological operations. AABB accreditation is the recognized benchmark for safe, high-quality blood banking practice in the United States and internationally.
The AABB publishes its Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services on a regular revision cycle. The 35th Edition, effective April 2026, continues to place continuous temperature monitoring at the center of blood storage compliance, reinforcing requirements that have been tightening with each successive edition.
For any facility that stores, handles, or transfuses blood products, AABB standards are not optional guidance. They represent the minimum threshold for accreditation and the standard of care against which facilities are measured during inspections and audits.
Why Temperature Control Is Critical for Blood Products
Blood and blood components are acutely sensitive to temperature. Unlike food inventory, where a brief excursion may be recoverable with documentation, a temperature failure in blood storage can render products unsafe for transfusion with no visible indication. The consequences reach directly to patients depending on those products.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Pathology, blood product waste in U.S. hospitals ranges from 1% to 5% annually, with improper temperature management being a leading cause of preventable loss, translating to an estimated $46 million to $230 million in wasted blood products every year. Beyond the financial cost, that is blood that could have saved lives.