June 14 is World Blood Donor Day. Why does blood donation need a day? Because it’s one of the simplest gifts of life and too few people give it. Why June 14? Because June 14th was the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the man who discovered the ABO blood system that is used to categorize the type of blood we have.
Here are some answers to questions many people ask about blood donation:
How much blood do I have in my body?
This depends on if you’re a woman or a man. Women have about 10 pints while men about 12. Compare that with …read more

So you have done everything on your checklist prior to your open heart surgery. Pre-op physical… check… labs… check… packed the bag… check… donated your blood… check- but this is where the question comes into play.
A new US study found that cardiac surgery patients who received blood transfusions of blood that had been stored for 2 weeks or less had lower rates of complications and death than those who received blood that was older.
Were you instructed on when to donate? Did the nurse or case manager that prepared you for surgery advise you that the fresher your blood the …read more