BLOOD.PK Make life saving a habit

BLOOD FACTS

• Blood cannot be manufactured. It can only come as a gift from people.
   
• Anyone who is in good health is at least 17 years old, and weighs at least 50 Kgs may donate Blood every 56 days.
   
• Blood is the fluid that maintains life. It circulates through the body's heart, arteries, veins and capillaries.
   
• Blood carries to the body nourishment, electrolytes, hormones, vitamins, antibodies, heat, and oxygen. Needless to say, it’s quite essential to life!
   
• Did you know? A woman has approximately 4.5 liters of Blood in her body, while men have 5.6 liters.
   
• By donating just one pint of Blood, four lives can be saved. Imagine that!
   
• Blood carries away from the body waste matter and carbon dioxide.
   
• Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds, keeping you healthy.
   
• Fun Fact! Your Blood takes a very long trip through your body. If you could stretch out all of a human's Blood vessels, they would be about 60,000 miles long. That's enough to go around the world twice.
   
• Blood makes up about 7% of your body's weight.
   
• Each day 400 gallons of recycled Blood are pumped through the kidneys.
   
• A newborn baby has about one cup of Blood in his or her body.
   
• White Blood cells are the body's primary defense against infection.
   
• Granulocytes, a type of white Blood cell, roll along Blood vessel walls to search and destroy bacteria.
   
• Red Blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissues.
   
• There are about one billion red Blood cells in two to three drops of Blood.
   
• Half your body’s red Blood cells are replaced every seven days.
   
• Red Blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system.
   
• Blood platelets help clotting and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
   
•  Each whole Blood donation can help as many as three people. One unit is divided into three parts: red Blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
   
• Whole Blood donation only takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes.
   
• Statistics show that 25 percent or more of us will require Blood at least once in our lifetime.
   
• Whole Blood donors may donate every 56 days.
   
• Platelet donors may donate every 48 hours (donors are scheduled every two weeks)
   
• Plasma donors may donate every 4 weeks
   
• Double red cell apheresis donors may donate every 112 days
   
• An adult of average weight has about 10 to 12 units of Blood.
   
• Sixty percent of the population is eligible to donate Blood, however, only five percent do.
   
• Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds, keeping you healthy.
   
• There are four main Blood types: A, B, AB and O.
   
• More than 10 tests, nine of which are for infectious diseases, are performed on each unit of donated Blood.
   
• Just one unit of donated Blood can help save the lives of several people.
   
• One unit of Blood can be separated into several components (red Blood cells, white Blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate).
   
• Red Blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissues.
   
• Platelets help Blood to clot and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
   
• Red Blood cells, white Blood cells, and platelets are made in the body's bone marrow.
   
• Donated red Blood cells must be used within 42 days.
   
• Donated platelets must be used within 5 days.
   
• Plasma can be frozen and used for up to one year.
   
• Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red Blood cells, plasma, and platelets.
   
• Some anemic patients require Blood transfusions to increase their iron levels.
   
• People who have been in car accidents and have suffered massive Blood loss may require transfusions of 50 units or more of red Blood cells.
   
• Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins, and salts.
   
• Plasma, which is 90 percent water, constitutes 55 percent of Blood volume.
   
• Plasma helps maintain Blood pressure, carries Blood cells, nutrients, enzymes, and hormones, and supplies critical proteins for Blood clotting and immunity.
   
• Platelets are small Blood cells that help control bleeding.
   
• Cancer, transplant, trauma, and open-heart surgery patients require platelet transfusions to survive.
   
• There is no substitute for human Blood.
   
• Much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of Blood from healthy donors.
   
• Volunteers provide nearly all of the nation's Blood supply for transfusion.
   
• Every three seconds someone needs Blood.
   
• Blood centers often run short of type O and B Blood.
   
• Shortages of all types of Blood often occur during the summer and winter holidays.
   
• If all Blood donors gave at least twice a year, it would greatly strengthen the nation's Blood supply.
   
• Blood donation takes four steps: medical history, quick physical, donation, and snacks.
   
• The actual Blood collection takes approximately 5-10 minutes. The entire process, from when you sign in to the time you leaves, takes about 45 minutes to one hour.
   
• Giving Blood will not decrease your strength.
   
• You cannot get AIDS or any other Blood disease by donating Blood.
   
• A heart surgery uses an average of six units of red Blood cells and six units of platelets.
   
• The average liver transplant patient needs 40 units of red Blood cells, 30 units of platelets, 20 bags of cryoprecipitate, and 25 units of fresh frozen plasma.
   
• The average bone marrow transplant requires 120 units of platelets and about 20 units of red Blood cells.
   
• Severe burn victims can need 20 units of platelets during their treatment.
   
• Children being treated for cancer, premature infants, and children having heart surgery need Blood and Platelets from donors of all types.
   
• If you began donating Blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of Blood.
   
• One out of every 10 people entering a hospital needs Blood.
   
• The average red Blood cell transfusion is 3.4 units.
   
• Females receive 53% of Blood transfused; males receive 47%.