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Teen Survives 7 Liters Blood Loss
8 Jun
Summary
- Boy lost seven litres of blood after artery burst.
- Emergency O negative blood transfusions saved his life.
- Donor blood supplies have seen a recent decline.
A 13-year-old boy has made a remarkable recovery after losing seven litres of blood, equivalent to three times his body's circulatory volume, following a main artery burst. Elliott Wills, from Cornwall, spent three weeks in hospital and has now called for increased blood donations.
His life was saved by emergency transfusions of O negative blood, a universal type, after complications from a virus led to the removal of his spleen and gall bladder. The incident occurred last year, and his family was prepared for the worst as a team of 20 staff worked for three hours to save him.
Elliott, who has the inherited blood disorder spherocytosis and requires regular transfusions for his rare B negative blood type, is now back playing football. His recovery underscores the critical need for blood donors, especially for O negative and B negative types, as NHS Blood and Transplant reports a 5% drop in regular donors since 2020.
