Blood is composed of several elements, each of which performs a special function in the body.
Whole blood contains red cells, white cells, and platelets suspended in plasma.
Red Blood Cells - help treat anemia or acute blood loss and carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues. Red Blood cells last up to 42 days.
Platelets - help control bleeding, replace platelets destroyed by disease or cancer therapy. Platelets must be used within 5 days.
Plasma - supplies nutrients to cells, used to replace fluids in shock and burn victims. Frozen plasma may be kept up to 1 year.
Did You Know?
The share of U.S. population eligible to donate:38 percent.
Percent of eligible who actually donate: 5 percent
The two most common reasons cited by people who don't give blood area: "Never thought about it" and "I don't like needles".
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
One out of every ten admitted to a hospital needs blood.
One donation can help save or sustain up to 3 lives.
An average adult body contains 10-12 units of blood.
The average red blood cell transfusion is approx. 3 pints.
The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many will need blood.
Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of whom are African American.
A Single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
Only 3 percent of the U.S. population has AB positive blood.
Type O negative blood is needed in emergencies before the patient's blood type is known and with newborns who need blood.
The American Red Cross only accepts blood donations only from volunteer donors.
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