Blood Donation FAQs

Donating blood is a simple thing to do, but can make a big difference in the lives of others. The donation process from the time you arrive until the time you leave takes about an hour. The donation itself is only about 8-10 minutes on average. The steps in the process are:

Registration

1. You will complete donor registration, which includes information such as your name, address, phone number etc.
2. You may be asked to show a donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of ID

Health History and Mini Physical

1. You will answer some questions during a private and confidential interview about your health history and the places you have traveled.
2. You will have your temperature, hemoglobin, blood pressure and pulse checked.

Donation

1. We will cleanse an area on your arm and insert a brand–new, sterile needle for the blood draw. This feels like a quick pinch and is over in seconds.
2. You will have some time to relax while the bag is filling. (For a whole blood donation, it is about 8-10 minutes. If you are donating platelets, red cells or plasma by apheresis the collection can take up to 2 hours.)
3. When approximately a pint of blood has been collected, the donation is complete and a staff person will place a bandage on your arm.

Refreshments

1. You will spend a few minutes enjoying refreshments to allow your body time to adjust to the slight decrease in fluid volume.
2. After 10-15 minutes you can then leave the donation site and continue with your normal daily activities.
3. Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment knowing that you have helped to save lives.

Take the following precautions:

Drink an extra four glasses (eight ounces each) of non-alcoholic liquids.

Keep your bandage on and dry for the next five hours, and do not do heavy exercising or lifting.

If the needle site starts to bleed, raise your arm straight up and press on the site until the bleeding stops.

Because you could experience dizziness or loss of strength, use caution if you plan to do anything that could put you or others at risk of harm. For any hazardous occupation or hobby, follow applicable safety recommendations regarding your return to these activities following a blood donation.

Eat healthy meals and consider adding iron-rich foods to your regular diet, or discuss taking an iron supplement with your health care provider, to replace the iron lost with blood donation.

If you get a bruise: Apply ice to the area intermittently for 10-15 minutes during the first 24 hours. Thereafter, apply warm, moist heat to the area intermittently for 10-15 minutes. A rainbow of colors may occur for about 10 days.

If you get dizzy or lightheaded: Stop what you are doing, lie down, and raise your feet until the feeling passes and you feel well enough to safely resume activities.

And remember to enjoy the feeling of knowing you have helped save lives!

Schedule your next appointment. If this is your first donation, expect your American Red Cross Donor Card in the mail within 6-8 weeks.

Only for a moment. Pinch the fleshy, soft underside of your arm. That pinch is similar to what you will feel when the needle is inserted.

The entire process takes about one hour and 15 minutes; the actual donation of a pint of whole blood unit takes eight to 10 minutes. However, the time varies slightly with each person depending on several factors including the donor’s health history and attendance at the blood drive.

The plasma from your donation is replaced within about 24 hours. Red cells need about four to six weeks for complete replacement. That’s why at least eight weeks are required between whole blood donations.

The highest priorities of the blood banks are the safety of the blood supply and blood donors. Some individuals may be at risk of transferring communicable disease through blood donation due to exposure via travel or other activities or may encounter problems with blood donation due to their health. They ask these questions to ensure that it is safe for patients to receive your blood and to ensure that it is safe for you to donate blood that day.

Blood donations are divided into three groups based on who will receive the collected blood.

1. An allogeneic (also called homologous) donation is when a donor gives blood for storage at a blood bank for transfusion to an unknown recipient.
2. A directed or replacement donor donation is when a person, often a family member, donates blood for transfusion to a specific individual. Directed donations are rare in developed countries but are common in developing countries.
3. An autologous donation is when a person has blood stored that will be transfused back to the donor at a later date, usually after surgery.

You must wait at least eight weeks (56 days) between donations of whole blood and 16 weeks (112 days) between double red cell donations. Platelet apheresis donors may give every 7 days up to 24 times per year.

Let others benefit from your good health. Do donate blood if ...

• You are between age group of 18-60 years.
• Your weight is 45 kgs or more.
• Your haemoglobin is 12.5 gm% minimum.
• Your last blood donation was 3 months earlier.
• You are healthy and have not suffered from malaria, typhoid or other transmissible disease in the recent past.

There are many, many people who meet these parameters of health and fitness!

You are requested to refrain from donation if-

• you had been tested positive for Hepatitis (HBsAg, Anti-HCV, Anti-HBc)
• you have ever taken illegal intravenous drugs
• you have AIDS or one of its signs or symptoms which include:
• you have observed unexplained weight loss (4-5 Kg or more in less than 2 months)
• you have Profuse night sweats (Recurring sweating at night which wets the bed sheet)
• you observed Blue/purple spots on or under the skin or in the mouth
• you have Long lasting white spots in the mouth
• you have Swollen lymph nodes (lump in the neck or armpit or groin) lasting more than a month
• you have low grade fever for many days or week and/or recurring frequently
• you have Persistent diarrhea in spite of adequate treatment
• You have ever tested positive for HIV antigen or antibody
• You are a hemophilic who has been transfused anti-hemophilic factor concentrate
• You have multiple sex-partners
• You are a man who has had sex with a female prostitute

You are permanently barred from donating blood if you have been suffering from any of the following diseases

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Unexplained weight loss
• Diabetes controlled on insulin
• Infectious hepatitis
• Abnormal bleeding tendencies
• Chronic nephritis
• Liver disease

• Endocrine disorders
• Polycythemia Vera
• Asthma
• Epilepsy
• Leprosy
• Signs and symptoms suggestive of AIDS
• Schizophrenia

Temporary deferment from blood donation

If the following are applicable, postpone blood donation till the period mentioned against each:

Apheresis is the process by which platelets and other specific blood components (red cells or plasma) are collected from a donor. The word “apheresis” is derived from the Greek word aphaeresis meaning “to take away.” This process is accomplished by using a machine called a cell separator. Blood is drawn from the donor and the platelets, or another blood component, are collected by the cell separator and the remaining components of the blood are returned to the donor during the donation. Each apheresis donation procedure takes about one-and-one-half to two hours. Donors can watch movies or relax during the donation.

Platelets are tiny, colorless, disc-shaped particles circulating in the blood, and they are essential for normal blood clotting. Platelets are critically important to the survival of many patients with clotting problems (aplastic anemia, leukemia) or cancer, and patients who will undergo organ transplants or major surgeries like heart bypass grafts. Platelets can only be stored for five days after being collected. Maintaining an adequate supply of this lifesaving, perishable product is an ongoing challenge.

up to 24 apheresis donations can be made in a year. Some apheresis donations can generate two or three adult-sized platelet transfusion doses from one donation!

No. Sterile procedures and disposable equipment are used in all Red Cross donor centers. We use a needle only once and then dispose of it. You cannot contract HIV or other viral disease by donating blood.

Blood donations are tested for the following:

• ABO and Rh blood types.
• Unexpected red blood cell antibodies that are a result of prior transfusion, pregnancy, or other factors.
• Hepatitis B surface antigen, indicating a current infection (hepatitis) or carrier state for hepatitis B virus.
• Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, indicator of a present or past infection with the hepatitis B virus.
• Antibody to hepatitis C virus, indicating a current or past infection with hepatitis C virus (most common cause of non-A/non-B hepatitis).
• Antibody to HTLV-I/II, indicator of infection with a virus that may cause adult T-cell leukemia or neurological disease.
• Antibody to HIV-1/2, indicator of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) for hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV.
• Screening test for antibodies to syphilis.
• NAT for West Nile Virus (WNV).
• Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) test for Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas Disease).

In addition, all platelet apheresis donations are tested for bacterial contamination.

You should not give blood to get tested for AIDS. Using blood donation as a way to get tested could put the blood supply at risk and endanger patients. HIV antibodies may take a few weeks to develop after infection with the virus. If you were recently infected, you might have a negative test result, yet be able to infect the recipient of your donation. That is why you must not give blood if you are at risk of getting AIDS or other infectious diseases. Individuals at risk for contracting HIV should contact their local health department for AIDS testing.

Yes. Donors who are confirmed positive for any infectious disease are notified and have the opportunity to receive counseling with a specially trained, professional Red Cross donor counselor.

An autologous donation is when you donate blood for yourself before having surgery or a planned medical procedure. Autologous donations require a physician prescription. Contact your doctor first to find out if you should donate blood for yourself.

60% of the population qualifies to donate blood, less than 5% actually do so.

It may hurt a little. But far less than getting one’s life back

Only goal is to ensure a safe blood supply for patients

Using sterile equipment that is disposed of after a single use

Taking general medications like for Hypertension or diabetes can donate blood without any problem.

So long as the donor is healthy and weigh at least 50 KGs, and age at least 17 years he/she can continue to donate as a lifelong contributor.

Adults are having 5 to 6.5 liters of blood; if they donate 350 ml of blood will feel little or no effect after donating

Donating blood improves your overall cardiovascular health. Increased level of iron in the blood raises the chance of heart disease. Regularly donating blood helps males in particular to reduce the amount of iron in the blood. This can reduce the chance of heart attack by 88%. Additionally, regular blood donation can lower the risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke by 33%.

When blood is withdrawn, the donor's body immediately begins to replenish the lost blood. New cells are produced by marrow within 48 hours of donation, and all of the red blood cells the donor loses during donation are completely replaced within one to two months. Therefore, donating blood helps to stimulate the production of new blood cells. This process of replenishment can help your body stay healthy and work more efficiently.

Donating blood on a regular basis can also improve fitness. Donating one pint of blood (450 ml) burns 650 calories in donor's body.

Many elderly people who are in good health have reported feeling invigorated and reenergized by giving blood on a regular basis.

Give blood to help lower your risk of cancer. According to the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, consistent blood donation is associated with lowered risks of cancers, including liver, lung, colon, stomach and throat cancers. Risk levels drop in correlation with how often participants donate blood.

In addition to all of these benefits, a donor receives a free prior health screening plus mini blood test. There will be an HB level test, as well as a blood pressure and body check. Blood is also tested for some major diseases and the donor is immediately informed in strict confidentiality if any of these tests show positive results.

By donating blood, many lives are saved and hope is given to many whose situation may otherwise be hopeless. Blood donors give such patients a second lease of life.

When you donate blood, you impact not only the patient whose life may depend on your donation, but also all those who depend on that patient. The entire community will benefit from the spirit of generosity.