Ready To Donate Blood?

Transfusion was plagued by guesswork and only found occasional success until Dr. Karl Landsteiner discovered and classified the different blood types. Today, transfusion is an invaluable practice in hospitals, with 43,000 pints of donated blood used each day in the US and Canada.

But for a blood transfusion to be successful, it needs an important partner: a blood donor.

What Types Of Blood Donations Are There?

Red blood cells

Giving red blood cells is the simplest, quickest, and most common type of donation, and usually what people mean when they talk about "giving blood." Through a needle in the arm of your choice, technicians will draw roughly a pint of your blood in about 10 minutes. People with O-negative blood are generally considered "universal red cell donors," meaning that any patient in need can receive their blood, and those with O-positive blood can donate to the majority of people, so their blood is also always needed. Red blood cell donors can give every 56 days -- donating more often can result in anemia.

Red blood cells are most often used in patients with chronic anemia or massive blood loss from accidents, other traumas, and surgery. Red cells -- particularly those from minorities -- are crucial for children with sickle cell anemia because most are African American and their blood is more likely to match certain proteins in a minority donor's blood, according to the American Red Cross.

Plasma

Plasma accounts for 55 percent of your blood and is 90 percent water. Plasma is the "river" by which red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets travel throughout the body, and has important clotting properties. Anyone can give plasma, but individuals with blood type AB-positive are universal plasma donors, so they're encouraged to give plasma instead of red cells.

Because your body makes plasma much more quickly than red cells, you can donate it as often as once a month. Plasma donation takes at least 30 minutes, and it involves separating your blood components in an apheresis machine. Plasma is spun out in the machine's centrifuge and fed into a bag, then everything but the plasma is returned to your body. Doctors use plasma in hemophilia emergencies, accidents or surgery involving severe bleeding, and liver failure.

Platelets

Platelets are responsible for blood clotting. Like plasma donation, platelet donation also uses an apheresis machine, but requires many more cycles to draw out the desired components, making the process close to two hours long. Platelet donors are eligible to give every 48 hours, but should not donate more than 24 times a year. No particular blood type is preferred.

Platelets are used to treat patients with leukemia and aplastic anemia (when bone marrow stops producing blood cells), as well as those who are undergoing chemotherapy or recovering from organ or bone marrow transplants.

Many medical procedures use all blood components. For example, a typical organ transplant requires 40 units (pints) of red blood cells, 30 units of platelets, and 25 units of plasma.

Marrow

Marrow, the tissue inside bones, manufactures red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Diseases that attack the marrow, such as leukemia, threaten the body's ability to produce these crucial blood components. Easily the most grueling of donations, donating marrow requires anesthesia and often causes hip pain for up to two weeks. However, giving marrow is also probably the most profound of donations: On a given day, about 6,000 patients are waiting for a marrow transplant, and without a match, they may not survive. (Matches tend to be found within ethnic groups, so there's a particular need for minority marrow donors.)

Whole Blood

A whole blood donation is simply that – the blood that flows through your veins. It contains red cells, white cells and platelets, suspended in plasma.

Is Blood Donation Safe?

In the United States it is. All needles are sterile and thrown away immediately after each use. As for apheresis -- the process used to collect platelets and plasma -- a single-use plastic kit is used for each donation, ensuring that your blood never comes in contact with the machine or gets contaminated with someone else's blood.

The blood donation process itself poses no risk of infecting a donor with coronavirus.

What Should I Do To Prepare To Donate Blood?

Every blood bank will offer suggestions, but in general:

• Eat a solid meal. It's also smart to be in good shape all around: Get a good night's rest and don't drink too much alcohol the night before.
• Don't eat a lot of fatty foods in the 12 to 24 hours before you give. Blood that's high in fat can cloud testing and render your donation unusable.
• Drink a lot of water in the 24 hours before donating, especially if you're giving plasma.

Am I Eligible To Donate Blood?

Before you donate blood, technicians at the blood bank will give you a quick mini-physical to measure weight, temperature, heart rate, and iron level.

You should also be prepared to answer a questionnaire to determine the quality and safety of your blood, and then answer several more questions an interviewer will ask you in person. The questions cover a bit of everything, from the mundane to the offbeat to the personal. It's important to answer all the questions honestly, even if they seem odd, because they're designed to keep the blood supply safe. You'll be asked about your past and present health and lifestyle, as well as your recent travels.

Factors that may impact your ability to donate include:

• Age
• Weight
• If you've recently received any blood transfusions
• A history of hepatitis B or C
• High risk for HIV/AIDS
• Pregnancy
• Piercings or tattoos recently done outside of a state-licensed facility
• If you've ever taken Tegison
• If you used needles to take anything not prescribed by your physician in the past 3 months.
• Travel outside the United States

If you have specific questions about eligibility to donate blood, visit the Versiti Indiana or American Red Cross websites.

If you're ineligible to donate blood but still want to lend a hand, most blood centers have opportunities for volunteers to do everything from registering donors to handing out juice and cookies after donations.

Should I Rest After Giving Blood?

Even if you feel fine, don't overdo it after donating blood. You just did a good deed, so give yourself a break. You'll want to hang around the center for about 10 minutes before going on your way. Take advantage of the snacks and juice provided to get your blood sugar back up. It's probably not a good idea to walk very far after leaving, so plan to take a bus or cab home. If you smoke, don't light up for at least a half hour. Eat a big dinner, and avoid exercise that day. Drink lots of water but avoid drinking alcohol.

Will I Be Paid For My Blood Donation?

Contrary to popular opinion, the answer is usually no, although there are some banks around the country that do pay for specific types of donations. Blood banks generally don't pay for donations because they want to discourage people from lying to get paid for their donations.

What Is Donated Blood Tested For?

Once your blood is drawn and bagged, it will be shipped to a lab, where it's tested for several different conditions (including syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV) in order to determine its safety.

Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) is a relatively new screening process now used on all donated blood. For example, the test is able to identify the HIV virus sooner than tests that detect disease-fighting antibodies instead of the actual virus. Blood banks are hoping that NAT will expand the eligible pool of donors. 

If any of the tests are positive, you will be notified confidentially by mail -- never by phone -- within four weeks. If you're deemed ineligible to give, your name may be added to a confidential list of potentially unsafe donors. In order to protect your privacy, the specific reason will not be listed.

How Long Does Donated Blood Stay Usable?

Platelets, which must be stored at room temperature, have a shelf life of only about five days. Red blood cells are refrigerated after donation, and they can last up to 42 days. Plasma, which can withstand being frozen, remains usable for up to a year. During the journey from you to its eventual recipient, your blood is kept quite safe in a blood bag designed to survive a 2,000-foot drop.

Since there's always a demand for all donated components, you can be pretty confident that your blood will be put to potentially lifesaving use in a matter of days.

HealthDay News contributed information to this article.