Facts About Blood Needs
Every year our nation requires about 4 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 40 Lakh units of blood are available.- The gift of blood is the gift of life. There is no substitute for human blood.
- Every two seconds someone needs blood.
- More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year.
- The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
- The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
- Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
- More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
- A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
Facts About the Blood Supply
Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors. - Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types. It is always in great demand and often in short supply.
- Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.
Facts About the Blood Donation Process
Donating blood is a safe process. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and then discarded. - Blood donation is a simple four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments.
- Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor's temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood.
- The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour and 15 min.
- The average adult has about 10 units of blood in his body. Roughly 1 unit is given during a donation.
A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days.- A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as 7 days apart, but a maximum of 24 times a year.
- All donated blood is tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases before it can be transfused to patients.