Blood Facts
The following list offers some interesting blood industry related tidbits intended to help both educate the community and recruit donors.
- Your one whole blood donation can help save the lives of up to three patients.
- An average sized adult has approximately 10-12 pints of blood or roughly 7-8% of total body weight.
- Every 3 seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood product.
- Although 60% of Americans are eligible to donate blood, only approximately 5% actually do.
- It is estimated that one in three individuals will need a blood product sometime during their life.
- People over the age of 65 use approximately 43% all donated blood.
- You cannot get diseases from donating blood (all equipment is sterilized and discarded after each donation).
- Every unit of donated blood is tested for infectious diseases making the blood supply the safest it has ever been.
- You can donate whole blood every 56 days and apheresis platelet donations up to 24 times per year.
- There are one billion red blood cells in two or three drops of blood.
- Once donated, red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days; platelets last only 7 days; and plasma can be frozen and used up to one year.
- Trauma injuries, such as an automobile accident, can result in the need for 50 doses or more of red blood cells.
- Bone marrow transplant patients need platelet donations from approximately 120 people and red blood cells from about 20 people.
- Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments need a constant replenishment of platelets.
- It is estimated that females receive 53% of all blood transfusions.
- 500,000 Americans donated blood in the days immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
- People with the more common O+ and A+ types often think their blood is not needed, but in reality is needed by the majority of all patients.
- The human body has enough blood vessels to encircle the earth more than twice.
- Blood shortages across the nation often occur during the busy summer months and in the December/January holiday timeframe.
- Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
- Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along the blood vessel walls in search of bacteria to consume.
- A former Surgeon General stated, “A donation of blood is one of the most important acts an individual can perform to help maintain the health of their community.”
- Donating blood…It’s About Life!
