Blood donation is very important topic and it is interesting to know that a blood donation saves approximately 4.5 million people in America every year. The term blood donation is associated with drawn blood from a donor and this blood will eventually be given to other person who needs it. The blood taken from the donor must not be infected with any virus and the donor needs to be healthy. If medical conditions were present, the blood will become contagious and the condition will be transferred to the recipient of the blood. The blood donation can be done for money, but it is mostly done as a charity act. The common amount of blood drawn in one time is 450ml, but this blood has short lifespan and this is a problem.
Need for Blood Donation
The first important fact is that in America every two seconds a person needs blood. Also, 9% of the population need to donate blood in order to have adequate amounts, but only 5% of people donate blood today. Every day there is a need for 38 000 blood donations and every tenth hospital has to perform treatment with a help from blood transfusions. The type O blood group is the most demanded type. Blood is also needed for those who are undergoing chemotherapy due to a cancer, and during one year, there are more than a million new cases of cancer. The blood donation is a quick process that lasts an hour total, with the signing in, while the blood draining lasts around 10 minutes. One hundred of blood units will be needed per victim of a car accident and even three people can be saved with just one donation.
Eligibility and Blood Supply
For a person to donate blood there are some requirements that need to be fulfilled. As we have mentioned, good healthy is crucial and a donor cannot be lighter than 110 pounds and younger than 17 years. Also, blood can be donated on every 56th day and these are some of the conditions that only 38% of people living in America can fulfill. Winter and summer holiday are periods during which blood is most needed. Once the blood is drawn, it has to be used in the following 48 hours.
Donors and Blood Type
Wanting to help other people is the main reason why people donate blood, while the most common excuse for not donating blood is "I never thought about it". Some also say that they cannot donate blood due to the fear of needle. Another important fact is that a person can give 48 gallons of blood during 76 years of life if blood is donated on every 56th day. Female to male donor ration in the Red Cross is 1:1 and the blood type O Rh negative is universal and it can be transferred to any recipient, but this type is present in only 7% of population in America. This type is usually used for patients whose blood type is unknown and for unconscious patients. Types AB Rh negative and O Rh negative are the rarest types.
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