Blood Donation : Some Facts

Is there any advantage of blood donation?

Yes, there are several advantages

New younger cells are generated within few days which have better functional capacity. Quality of blood improves after every blood donation. Regular donors have low risk of developing hypertension, heart attacks, brain strokes. For voluntary donors the card issued gives the insurance coverage of one unit of blood

Will you charge for blood donation?

No, but for the units issued to the patient .processing and testing charges will be taken.

Component Separation

Blood is separated into components like, packed red cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelet concentrate or cryoprecipitate, so that different patients get different blood components according to their specific requirements, which optimizes the use of blood and benefits the patient more effectively.

Leukoreduced Blood Products

Allogenic leucocytes present in various blood components is responsible for adverse reaction associated with blood transfusion which can be minimized by use of Leucoreduced blood products.

Serological Investigations

After complete physical and medical screening of blood donor we test the blood for HIV, Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBS Ag) Hepatitis B core antibody (antiHB)C and Hepatitis C by chemiluminescence immunoassay and syphlis & malaria by rapid method Anti-HBc test is an useful marker to detect donors in the serological window period in Hepatitis B surface marker testing and therefore, can help to prevent Hepatitis B virus infection transmitted by HBsAg negative donors.

Apheresis Procedure

With the use of cell separators we can draw a particular component from the donor directly and rest of the consituents go back to the donor.

Examples:- Platelet Aphreresis, Granulocytepheresis, Therapeutic cytapheresis, Therapeutic plasma exchange

What is the timing for blood donation and apheresis?

Blood Donation : 9am to 6 pm(working days)

Apheresis : 9am to 5pm (working days) (except for emergency admission)

Apheresis procedure is the donor specific procedure. It tal around 2 to 3 hrs.

Does the blood issued from Blood bank have zero risk transmission of infectious disease?

Blood transfusion always has the risk of window period (Lag ti between exposure to infection & the appearance of diagno: marker of infection in the blood) disease transmission and adve reaction. Benefit of transfusion should always outweigh the risk.

Even the nucleic acid testing can not zero the risk So the don brought to the blood bank should be properly known to you . professional donors and paid donors are allowed.