Question

How much blood does the body have in reserve and where is it stored?

(a) 150 ml stored in liver

(b) 10 ml stored in gall bladder

(c) 100 ml stored in the spleen

(d) 15 ml stored in the heart

I have been asked this question during an interview.

My doubt stems from Collection of Blood in Pathology topic in chapter Pathology of Clinical Science

Answer 1

Right answer is (c) 100 ml stored in the spleen

The explanation: Spleen stores almost three months of reserves of blood. When the body suffers from blood loss due to injury or trauma, the spleen releases blood to act as a buffer and prevent any critical situations from happening. Even after blood donation, the spleen releases blood to cover up for the loss. It takes almost three months for the spleen to recover its lost blood.