The following article contains a word bank, sources, and a donation site at the end. Be sure to view all contents if you are confused.
Blood banks are centers revolving around collecting blood, storing it, and then donating it to those in need. They are vital for people who may have diseases such as sickle cell anemia, have lost lots of blood due to injuries, or a variety of other circumstances. The most widely known blood bank is the Red Cross, a nonprofit organization established in 1881. As of 2024, there are 191 Red Cross hospitals all over the world. However, the first Blood Bank established was in 1936. Most people may not know how to donate blood, or why they should even consider it, so here’s some information and incentive for you to consider.
There are a few parts when it comes to the process of donating blood, such as the checkup you get beforehand and a consent form with an information sheet. Junior Danika Kern says “They make you sign a paper knowing that you understand it and also people who actually probably donated fully read through to make sure they wanted to do it and that they fit the criteria.”, which was essentially just a more efficient to make sure that everyone wanting to donate is eligible and is aware of what they are signing up for.
BENEFITS
When people think of benefits to donating blood, they think of the moral and altruistic perspective on it. However, there are actual health benefits for the donors themselves that may just give them a whole new reason to want to donate. By donating blood, you can reduce the risks of getting a heart attack and it can help to lower blood pressure, though these mainly occur for men. It is also free to donate blood, and you get an additional checkup right before you go to do it, which usually costs money, but for blood donations, it costs you nothing. “I think some people see it as kind of like a chore that if you do it, you’re not really getting anything out of it. But, in the end you are getting something out of it and that’s helping somebody,” Kern stated. In addition to the benefits it gives you, it can also greatly benefit someone else, and being able to help someone in need can in turn boost your own happiness and make you feel like a better person, which can reduce other stress factors. So next time you think about blood banks or donations, think of all the ways that it gives back to all parties and all the lives you can save, because it’s a lot more than a blood draw.
BLOOD TYPES
Who you can or can’t donate to all narrows down to your blood type and the other persons. In the US, 43% of people have a variation of O blood, and 38% of people globally are infused with O+, which is the most common blood type in the world. Type O negative is considered the “universal donor” for red blood transfusions, and type AB is the universal donor for plasma donations. The reason for this is because of where their antigens¹ are placed. Both A and B antigens for O type blood are both placed in plasma cells, which is why they are used in red blood. AB type blood have both antigens placed on red cells rather than plasma, which is why they are good for plasma donations. Since there are no antibody antigens in plasma for type AB and none in red blood for type O, they are very helpful for their specialized type of donations.
TYPES OF DONATIONS
When high schoolers think of donating blood, the first thing that comes to mind is usually the annual blood drives that happen at school. Not very many are aware that there is more than one type of blood donation, with different conditions that you need to meet and frequencies in which you can donate. There are 4 types of blood donations, whole blood being the most common. It is usually given to people undergoing surgery. In most states, you have to be at least 17 to donate, but in Virginia, with a consent form signed by a parent, you can do it at 16. All donors have to be at least 110 lbs since many lighter people would be susceptible to fainting due to how much blood is taken out during that thing where they take your blood out with a vacutainer². There are also 3 other types, consisting of plasma donations, mainly for trauma patients, platelet donations, mainly for cancer patients or ones with serious illnesses, and power red donations, which are usually for trauma donations or mothers/newborns during birth.
RESTRICTIONS
Blood transmitting can never be done two days in a row. In fact, there is a certain amount of time that has to pass before you can donate again, which also depends on the type of donation you do. The one that allows the least amount of days to pass is Platelet donations, which takes a minimum of a week before you can donate again, though it takes the longest time and can last up to 3 hours (but it may take a minimum of 2.5 hours). Plasma donations take up to 28 days for re-registration, while the process takes up to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Similarly, whole blood donations take up to 1 hour in process and 56 days allow for another donation. The one that takes the most amount of time for recovery is Power Red, which is 112 days but takes only one and a half hours to complete. While all the other donation types have similar criteria for who can donate, power red is a little more specific, where males have to be at least 17 years of age, 5’1”, and at least 130 lbs to participate, and females 19 years of age, 5.3 and 150+ lbs, and both of them have to have a hemoglobin level³ of 13.3 g/dl.
Word Bank:
* Vacutainer – blood collection tube is a sterile glass or plastic test tube with a colored rubber stopper creating a vacuum seal inside of the tube, facilitating the drawing of a predetermined volume of liquid. (wikipedia)
**Hemoglobin level – A hemoglobin test is a blood test. It measures the amount of a protein in red blood cells called hemoglobin. (mayoclinic)
***Antigens – any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it. (MedlinePlus)
Citations:
Donate Blood, Platelets or Plasma. Give Life | Red Cross Blood, https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
“Blood Banking and Donation – Hematology.org.” American Society of Hematology, https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/blood-basics/blood-banking-and-donation
“Hemoglobin test.” Mayo Clinic, 12 April 2024, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hemoglobin-test/about/pac-20385075.
“The Surprising Benefits of Donating Blood.” Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 24 January 2022, https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/surprising-benefits-donating-blood.