Show When I Donate What Happens To My fly Blood Blood is such an illusive thing still most people tl think they can keep their same 12 pints all nil of oC their life Such is not the case I MEDICAL l science esti estimates ates that red cells wear out and andare andare andare are lost los from the body at the rate of ten billion every hour Our Cur body is very busy manufacturing manufacturing manufacturing manu manu- new cells to take lake their place to keep our blood at the same level le At this rate of oC exchange we change our blood supply completely about every days Being a blood donor fits its into this scheme of change You donate a pint of oC blood and your body goes right to work to o produce red cells in sufficient sufficient quantities to restore your blood level to about 12 pints which you normally have Knowing that our body replaces replaces replaces re re- re- re places blood rapidly there should be no hesitancy in responding responding responding re re- re- re to a request to be a blood donor IT IS NORMAL for everyone everyone everyone every every- one to wonder what happens to o the part of oC them they leave leaven I I in n the bottle when they donate blood at the Red Cross The first people who work with the blood after alter it is donated are the he laboratory technicians It ItIs Its Iti i Is s their job to perform certain cerain certain tain ain tests to determine the blood group and Rh factor and to label and place e each ch bottle in its proper category There are four blood groups namely A B 0 and AB AT THE TIlE TIME TIl the blood grouping is done a date is placed on the bottle showing the he period of time the blood can be used for whole whole blood blood transfusion As noted above the life span of red cells is rather short and they lize and die at a high rate This limits the time the blood can be used for whole whole blood blood transfusions to 21 days from the date drawn When blood is properly labeled and dated it itis itis itis is placed on the shelves of our refrigerator ready for distri distri- to the hospitals we serve TO BE SURE there is sufficient dent blood available to meet anticipated needs more blood has to be drawn than is actually actually actually actu actu- ally used for whole blood transfusions However Howe there is no waste as blood not used for whole blood transfusions is used for other vital services The plasma where all blood fractions are arc contained is separated from the red cells and broken down into different differ ent component parts At present from Cram the plasma we obtain gamma globulin immune globulin serum serum ser ser- serum um albumin fibrinogen These products do not present a a problem of or preservation and andare andare are arc usable for many years from Crom the time they are arc pre pre- pared BLOOD donations made bythe by bythe bythe the people when the Red Cross bloodmobile comes to our area area area ar ar- ea are arc available to met the needs of or participating groups when th need for blood arises in hospitals served by Red Cross South Davis Community ty hospital receives its total supply from rom the Ule Red Cross Should you need blood due duo dueLa duoto to La illness or accident and arc are arca area a member of oC a participating group call the Red Cross EL 5 |