11/1/2014 Blood Donation

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SectionsParul ChopraBlood Donation

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Why donate blood?

There is tremendous demand for blood in hospitals.Many patients die because they are not able to copewith the loss of blood. The blood donated is used to:

Replace blood lost during injury as inaccidents.Replace blood loss during major surgeries.Help patients with blood disorders likehaemophilia survive.Help burnt patients receive plasma that maybe critical for their survival.Raise haemoglobin levels (through transfusions) in patients with chronicailments like kidney diseases, cancer and anaemia.

Who can donate blood?

Some basic health conditions have to be met by donors. A donor should:Be above 18 years and below 60 years of age.Have a haemoglobin count that is not less than 12.5 g/dlWeigh not less than 45 kgs.Have normal body temperature at the time of donation.Have normal blood pressure at the time of donation.Should be free of any disease at the time of donation.The donor should not have taken any medicine in the last 48 hours.The donor should not have contacted jaundice in the previous three years.

Who should not donate blood?

The following categories of people should avoid donating blood:Pregnant or lactating women, or those who have recently had an abortion.Persons who are on steroids, hormonal supplements or certain specifiedmedication.Persons with multiple sexual partners or those who are addicted to drugs.Persons who have had an attack of infection like jaundice, rubella, typhoid ormalaria.Persons who have undergone surgery in the previous six months.Persons who have consumed alcohol in the 48 hours prior to donation.Women should avoid donation during their menstruating period.Persons with any systemic disease like heart disease, kidney disease, liverproblems, blood disorders or asthma should NOT donate blood.Persons suffering from infections transmitted through transfusions like HIV,Hepatitis, Syphilis etc should not donate blood.

How long does the process of donation take?

Only 350 ml of blood is taken at the time of donation. An average person has 5-6 litresof blood in the body. In terms of volume the loss is corrected in 24-48 hours by the

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body. The red cell count is corrected in about 56 days.

The actual bleeding time is about 5-6 minutes. There will be a medical check up beforethis and you will be advised some rest (for 5-10 minutes) and given some refreshmentafter donation. The whole process takes about 30 minutes.

How often can one donate blood?

The minimum time advised between two donations is 3 months. This gap helps bloodregain the normal haemoglobin count.

What are the precautions that need to be taken?

Ones health will not suffer because of blood donation. In fact, the bone marrow isstimulated to produce new cells. However, if conditions are not hygienic, one may getexposed to infection.

Please ensure that disposable needles are used for blood collection.

How is blood grouped?

The blood is screened for the following diseases/infections before grouping:HIVHepatitis B & CSyphilisMalaria

The blood is grouped and stored either as whole blood or as components like packedred blood cells, plasma or platelets. This is then sent on demand to hospitals. Blood iscomposed of cells suspended in a liquid. The liquid portion is the plasma, from whichtherapeutic fractions and derivatives are made.

Suspended in the plasma are three types of cells:

Red cells: these carry oxygenWhite cells: these fight infectionPlatelets: these stop wounds bleeding

The most common type of grouping is the ABO grouping. Red blood cells have aprotein coat on their surface, which distinguishes them. According to this blood isdivided into four groups: A (A protein is present), B (B protein is present), AB (ABprotein is present) and O (no protein is present).

There are subtypes under this grouping (listed as A1, A2, A1B or A2B) some of whichare quite rare. Apart from this there is another protein, which plays an important part inthe grouping of blood. This is called the Rh factor. If this is present, the particular bloodtype is called positive. If it is absent, it is called negative. Thus we have the followingbroad categories:

A1 NegativeA1 PositiveA1B NegativeA1B PositiveA2 NegativeA2 PositiveA2B NegativeA2B PositiveB NegativeB PositiveO NegativeO Positive

Tips on Blood DonatingPlease have a good meal at least 3 hours before donating blood.Please accept the snacks offered after the donation. It is recommended tohave a good meal later.Please avoid smoking on the day before donating. One can smoke 3 hoursafter donation.One is not eligible to donate blood if you have consumed alcohol 48 hoursbefore donation.

Misconception about Donating BloodYou will not feel drained or tired if you continue to drink fluids and have agood meal.You can resume your normal activities after donating blood, though you areasked to refrain from exercise or heavy weight lifting for twelve hours afterdonation.Donating blood will not leave you low of blood; in fact you will still havesurplus blood after the donation.

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Monday, 04 April 2011

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While donating blood you will not feel any pain.You will not faint or feel uncomfortable after donating blood. This is a commonmisconception.You will not get AIDS if you donate blood.Patients are just like donors - most of them have common blood types.Because your blood type is common, the demand for that type is greater thanfor rare types. So, even if your blood type is common there is still arequirement.

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