BLOOD SERVICES

Blood and Blood Components
The American Red Cross collects, tests, and distributes about half of the blood transfused in the United States. A comprehensive line of blood products, including whole blood, red blood cells, platelets, cryoprecipitate and fresh frozen plasma, is provided by a national network of Blood Services regions to hospitals for patients.

The need for blood is constant.
You've probably heard requests for blood countless times over the years. And you may wonder, don't they have enough by now?

The fact is the shelf life of blood is very limited. And because it can't be stockpiled, there's a constant need for fresh donations. How great is the demand? Every two seconds a patient needs blood. We must collect at least 700 units a week to meet the need for our hospital patients in nineteen hospitals in southwestern Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

With a demand this great, it's easy to see how your own regular donation can make such a difference-especially considering that only 5 percent of the American people give blood. When you donate, you're joining Red Cross blood donors who understand just how important giving blood really is.

By giving blood you are a hero in so many ways.
Your donation can help save the lives of up to three patients. These can be people with cancer, accident victims, those receiving organ transplants or those with chronic diseases.

Sometimes, the whole blood is used to replace blood lost by patients in life-threatening situations. More frequently, blood is separated into components that are then used individually.

Plasma, the yellow liquid portion of blood stops bleeding by forming blood clots. Patients such as hemophiliacs, whose own blood does not clot properly, need plasma.

Platelets, which also aid in blood clotting, are fragile blood cells that leukemia and other cancer patients need. They must be transfused within five days of donation.

White blood cells are given to help patients, including newborn infants, fight severe infections.

Red blood cells help treat anemia and increase the oxygen-carrying ability of blood during surgery.

DOUBLE RED CELL COLLECTION

With this collection you are providing two units of life-saving red blood cells during one donation process. During this process a machine is used to separate the blood components at the time of collection allowing you to donate specific blood components that are needed for transfusion---in this case red cells. You help more patients in need with this type of procedure because your donation will result in two red cell transfusions. More than 60% of all transfusions performed are red cells. Some specific requirements for this procedure include:


Females – 150lbs and 5’1” tall
Males - 175lbs and 5’5” tall
Iron levels must be 40% or higher

For more information call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or (812)471-7200