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 a newborn who has about a cup of blood.

How much blood do they take if I donate?

You donate about a pint of blood.

How often can I donate blood?

You can donate blood every two months (56 days, actually). You can donate platelets much more often. Platelets are what helps your blood clot.

How quickly does my blood replace itself?

Whole blood takes about two weeks or a bit longer to replenish. Platelets can return to pre-donation levels within hours, while plasma (the yellowish protein-rich liquid of the blood parts of your blood circulate through your body) may take a few days.

What is the rarest blood type?

AB positive is the rarest blood type, O is the most common.

Do you have to get the same blood?

Yes, if you’re type A, you need type A blood, type O needs type O blood. But, there are some exceptions. Someone who is AB positive is called a universal recipient and he or she can receive any type of blood in an emergency. Doctors don’t like to mix blood types, but this is possible.

On the other side of the coin, O negative blood is the universal donor. All blood types can receive O negative blood in an emergency situation.

What’s the positive and negative stuff?

The Rh factor describes a protein in the blood. Either you have it (positive) or you don’t (negative).

What are some situations where I wouldn’t be able to give blood?

Usually, if you’ve had certain diseases, like hepatitis or cancer, you’re not supposed to give. If you take certain types of medications or have lived recently in certain parts of the world, the blood services don’t want to use your blood for fear of passing on an infection.

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Post from: Blisstree

June 14: World Blood Donor Day

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 better?

Why would this be the case you ask? Older blood loses nitric oxide, an important agent in the delivery of oxygen to tissue cells. Another reason is that red blood cells become more rigid and sticky as they age, making it difficult for them to squeeze through narrow blood vessels and raising the risk of a clot.

via Medical News today

Post from: Blisstree

Newer blood will yield better results in heart surgery