US faces shortage of donated blood

A person is in need of a blood donation every two seconds in the United States, according to statistics from America's Blood Centers, a network of non-profit community blood centers across the country. Because there is no known substitute for human blood, and it cannot be artificially manufactured, the entire process relies on generous donations from people willing to give. Unfortunately, there is currently a shortage of donated blood across the country.

"An average of 44,000 blood donations are needed each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients and children with blood disorders," said Stephanie Millian, Director of Biomedical Communications at the American Red Cross in Washington, DC. "Maintaining sufficient blood to meet patient needs is a delicate balance between supply and demand."

And, not all blood is alike, even though it is made up of similar elements. There are four main red blood cell types: A, B, AB and O. Each type can be either positive or negative for the Rh factor. There are very specific ways in which blood types must be matched for a safe transfusion. AB is the universal recipient and O is the universal donor of red blood cells. A person's blood type is determined genetically, or passed down from generation to generation.

According to the Red Cross, there are four types of transfusable products that can be derived from a blood donation: red cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate. On average, more than one component is produced from a pint of donated blood. Therefore, each donation has the potential to save up to three lives.

"The Red Cross collects and processes more than 40% of the nation's blood supply - approximately 6 million units of blood each year from nearly 4 million volunteer blood donors," said Millian. "These units are then manufactured into about 9 million transfusable blood products for patients at approximately 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country."

January is US National Blood Donor Month. At this time of year, many centers give thanks to the multitude of people donating blood around the country. But January is also mid-winter and a time when blood drives report difficulty collecting enough blood to meet the needs of their patients. "With schools out and families on vacation for the holidays, and then the potentially bad winter weather throughout the season, it's even more important that those who are eligible to donate come forward to give the gift of life as often as they can," said Millian.

Some people have concerns about donating blood, but the process is usually easier than most people think. Here are a few facts from the Red Cross:

•Donating blood is a safe process. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and then discarded.
•Blood donation is a simple four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments.
•Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor's temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood.
•The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about one hour and 15 minutes.
•The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his body. Roughly one pint is given during a donation.
•A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days.

Anyone interested in donating blood should call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit online at redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment or to obtain additional information.