Category: Blood Donation

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2021 Blood Donation

O Goodness

The pandemic is a war, and our objective is survival.  Many have asked what they can do to help the war effort.  One way is to donate.  I’m not asking for your money.  I’m asking for your blood.    

A chronic blood shortage has existed throughout the pandemic, but blood becomes even scarcer during surges.  There are several reasons for this.  People are reluctant to leave home.  Work from home and distance learning reduces the yield of blood drives at businesses and universities.  The health and safety measures necessitated by the pandemic reduce the rate at which donors who can be processed.  All these factors result in less blood available for patients who need it.  

Red blood cells are important because they carry the oxygen which fuels the body.  Concentrations of red blood cells are given to patients who need a boost in their oxygen carrying capacity; sometimes this boost is lifesaving.

But it’s not as simple as taking blood from one person and giving it to another.  Among other things, blood must be tested for compatibility.  Every individual has a blood type, which corresponds to antigens on their red cells.  Think of antigens as little self-destruct buttons on the cell surface.  These buttons are imaginatively named A and B. There are four possible configurations of antigens, and these correspond to a person’s blood type.  If you have only A antigens on your red cells, you are blood type A.  If you have only B antigens only, you are blood type B.  If you have both A and B antigens, you are blood type AB.  And if you have no antigens, you are blood type O.  

The buttons are pressed by antibodies floating in the liquid part of your blood.  When the buttons are pressed, the red cells self-destructs (“hemolysis”).  Don’t worry; your body can’t trigger the buttons on red cells made by your body.  But your antibodies can trigger the destruction of red cells received during a transfusion.  When transfused red cells self-destruct all at once, you have a reaction, and you could die.  That’s why we want to know your blood type before transfusion.  We need to make sure that the blood you get is compatible with you.  

It turns out that if you are blood type A, you have B antibodies, meaning you can’t have any blood cells with B buttons.  If you are blood type B, you have A antibodies, meaning you can’t have any blood cells with A buttons.  If you are blood type AB, you don’t have any antibodies; you can get anybody’s blood (lucky you!).  If you are blood type O, you have both A and B antibodies, so you can only get type O blood.  But the cool thing about type O people is that there are no self-destruct buttons on their red cells.  That’s why we call blood type O individuals “universal donors”—they can give their blood to anyone.  In the blood bank world, O is good.

Type O blood is especially important in emergencies since there may not be time to test blood type before transfusion.  At those times, type O blood is given immediately.  O blood saves lives.  

Our blood supply depends on the goodness of people.  Since donation is the only source of blood, there’s just one reason blood is available for patients who need.  It’s because someone took the time to give their blood voluntarily.  About 45% of Americans are blood type O.  If that’s you, you’re special.  If that’s not you, we need your blood too.  Having a supply of all blood types preserves type O blood for emergencies and for patients who can have no other type.

It may take a little extra time to donate during the pandemic, but your donation is needed now more than ever.  It costs nothing but your time.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve had COVID-19, been vaccinated, or not.  Please consider making an appointment at a donation center now. 

If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, make an appointment here.  Otherwise, find a blood center in your area here. 

Categories
2021 Blood Donation

We Have No Bananas

When Texas freezes over, most everything closes.  That includes blood collection centers, which were closed for 5 days this week.  I’m writing to encourage you to donate blood.  If you’re a bottom-line person, you can skip this blog, find a donation site, and sign-up to give blood by clicking here.  

For those of you still with me, this is what I saw at the grocery store last night:

There were no bananas.  What does that have to do with blood donation?  Read on; I’ll tell you.

Blood has four parts.  First, there are the red cells which carry oxygen to the tissues in your body.  Oxygen is the fuel that makes cells go.  Without oxygen, cells get cold and die.  When people bleed, they lose these fuel-carriers, and their body goes on the biologic version of rolling blackouts, shunting blood towards essential internal organs at the expense of less vital parts like fingers and toes.  The second part of blood are white cells.  These are the infection fighting cells of your immune system.  Like first responders, white cells are carried by blood to the front lines of battle, where they protect you from invasion.  Third, blood contains platelets which are little bits of larger cells that act like the Fix-A-Flat you put in bicycle tires.  Platelets circulate in the blood looking for holes to plug, helping slow down or stop bleeding.  The fourth part of blood is plasma, the liquid part.  Plasma contains proteins, hormones, antibodies, clotting factors, and all the other stuff that needs to be carried from one part of your body to another.  

Most people have all four parts of blood in excess, but the blood center will test before collection to make sure you will not miss the unit you donate.  The unit you give is divided into three parts, so every donation helps three different people.  The collected red cells are separated into one bag, the platelets into another bag, and the plasma into a third bag.  The white cells collected are not used.

Red cells are like milk.  They must be refrigerated, and they expire after about a month (up to 42 days).  Plasma is like frozen vegetables.  Once frozen, plasma can be stored for a year.  But platelets are like bananas.  They are stored at room temperature, and they are only good for five days.   So when Texas freezes over, we run out of bananas, and we run out of platelets.

Blood bank inventories are slim during the first part of the year.  After the holidays, people don’t feel like donating blood.  That’s understandable, but our hospital blood banks suffer critical shortages as a result.  This year is no exception; blood banks were dealing with critical shortages before the freezing weather. But two massive winter storms this week have reduced blood inventories to nearly nothing.  That’s why your urgent action is needed. 

There is no substitute for donated blood.  There are no synthetic red cells or platelets, and there is no substitute for human plasma when it is needed.  To have blood products available when you or your family need it, you must make blood available to your neighbors today.  Please, your community needs your blood.  Find a donation site, and sign-up to give blood by clicking here.