56FactsAboutBloodandBloodDonation

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Oneforeachdaybetweenyourblooddonation!
1.4.5millionAmericanswoulddieeachyearwithoutlifesavingbloodtransfusions.
2.Approximately32,000pintsofbloodareusedeachdayintheUnitedStates.
3.Everythreesecondssomeoneneedsblood.
4.Oneoutofevery10peopleenteringahospitalneedsblood
5.Justonepintofdonatedbloodcanhelpsaveasmanyasthreepeople'slives.
6.Theaverageadulthas10pintsofbloodinhisorherbody.
7.Oneunitofbloodisroughlytheequivalentofonepint
8.Bloodmakesupabout7%ofyourbody'sweight
9.Anewbornbabyhasaboutonecupofbloodinhisorherbody.
10.Theaverageredbloodcelltransfusionis3.4pints
11.Bloodfightsagainstinfectionandhelphealwounds,keepingyouhealthy.
12.Therearefourmainbloodtypes:A,B,AB,andO.ABistheuniversalrecipientandOnegativeistheuniversaldonor.
13.BloodcentersoftenrunshortoftypeOandBblood.
14.Shortagesofalltypesofbloodoccurduringthesummerandwinterholidays.
15.Ifallblooddonorsgave2to4timesayear,itwouldhelppreventbloodshortages.
16.Ifyoubegandonatingbloodatage17anddonatedevery56daysuntilyoureached76,youwouldhavedonated48gallonsofblood.
17.Aboutthreegallonsofbloodsupportstheentirenation'sbloodneedsforoneminute
18.Blooddonationtakesfoursteps:medicalhistory,quickphysical,donation,andsnacks.
19.Theactualblooddonationusuallytakeslessthan10minutes.Theentireprocess,fromwhenyousignintothetimeyouleave,takes
about45minutes.
20.Givingbloodwillnotdecreaseyourstrength.
21.YoucannotgetAIDSoranyotherinfectiousdiseasebydonatingblood.
22.Fourteentests,11ofwhichareforinfectiousdiseases,areperformedoneachunitofdonatedblood.
23.Anycompany,communityorganization,placeofworshiporindividualmaycontacttheirlocalcommunitybloodcentertohosta
blooddrive.
24.Peopledonatebloodoutofasenseofdutyandcommunityspirit,nottomakemoney.Theyarenotpaidfortheirdonation.
25.Muchoftoday'smedicalcaredependsonasteadysupplyofbloodfromhealthdonors.
26.Oneunitofbloodcanbeseparatedintoseveralcomponents(redbloodcells,whitebloodcells,plasma,platelets,and
cryoprecipitate).
27.Redbloodcellscarryoxygentothebody'sorgansandtissue.
28.Thereareaboutonebillionredbloodcellsintwotothreedropsofblood.
29.Redbloodcellsliveabout120daysinthecirculatorysystem.
30.Plateletshelpbloodtoclotandgivethosewithleukemiaandothercancersachancetolive.
31.Apheresisisaspecialkindofblooddonationthatallowsadonortogivespecificbloodcomponents,suchasplatelets.
32.Donatedredbloodcellsmustbeusedwithin42daysofcollection.
42
33.Donatedplateletsmustbeusedwithinfivedaysofcollection.
34.Plasmacanbefrozenandusedforuptoayear.
35.Plasmaisapaleyellowmixtureofwater,proteins,andsalts.
36.Plasma,whichis90%water,constitutes55%ofbloodvolume.
37.Healthybonemarrowmakesaconstantsupplyofredcells,plasmaandplatelets.
38.Peoplewhohavebeenincaraccidentsandsufferedmassivebloodlosscanneedtransfusionsof50pintsormoreofredbloodcells.
39.Theaveragebonemarrowtransplantrequires120unitsofplateletsandabout20unitsofredbloodcells.Patientsundergoingbone
marrowtransplantsneedplateletsdonationsfromabout120peopleandredbloodcellsfromabout20people.
40.Severeburnvictimscanneed20unitsofplateletsduringtheirtreatment.

41.Childrenbeingtreatedforcancer,prematureinfants,andchildrenhavingheartsurgeryneedbloodandplateletsfromdonorsofall
types.
42.Anemicpatientsneedbloodtransfusionstoincreasetheirironlevels.
43.Cancer,transplantandtraumapatientsandpatientsundergoingopenheartsurgeryrequireplatelettransfusionstosurvive.
44.Sicklecelldiseaseisaninheriteddiseasethataffectmorethan80,000peopleintheUnitedStates,98%ofwhomareofAfrican
descent.Somepatientswithcomplicationsfromseveresicklecelldiseasereceivebloodtransfusionseverymonthupto4pintsat
atime.
45.InthedaysfollowingtheSeptember11thattacks,ahalfamillionpeopledonatedblood.
46.Femalesreceive53%ofbloodtransfusedmalesreceive47%.
47.94%ofallblooddonorsareregisteredvoters.
48.60%oftheUSpopulationiseligibletodonateonly5%doonayearlybasis.
49.17%ofnondonorscite"neverthoughtaboutit"asthemainreasonfornotgiving,while15%saythey're"toobusy".The#1reason
donorssaytheygiveisbecausethey"wanttohelpothers"
50.Afterdonatingblood,youreplacetheseredbloodcellswithin3to4weeks.Ittakeseightweekstorestoretheironlostafter
donating.
51.Granulocytes,atypeofwhitebloodcell,rollalongbloodvesselwallsinsearchofbacteriatoeat.
52.Whitecellsarethebody'sprimarydefenseagainstinfection.
53.Thereisnosubstituteforhumanblood.
54.It'saboutLife.
55.Sinceapintisapound,youloseapoundeverytimeyoudonateblood.
56.Anyonewhoisingoodhealth,isatleast16yearsold,andweighsatleast110poundsmaydonatebloodevery56days.

LastModified:January16,2014
Pleaseforwardallquestionsaboutthissiteto:PatriciaEdwards