Presbyterian Healthcare 
Blood Facts
| 56 facts about blood and blood donation |
One for each day between your blood donation!
- Anyone in good health, at least 17 years old, and at least 110 pounds may donate blood every 56 days.
- 4.5 million: the number of American lives saved each year by blood transfusions.
- 32,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the United States.
- Someone needs blood every three seconds.
- One out of ten hospital patients needs blood.
- Three: the number of lives saved by one pint of donated blood.
- Ten pints: amount of blood in the body of an average adult.
- One unit of blood is roughly the equivalent of one pint.
- Blood makes up about 7% of your body's weight.
- A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his body.
- 3.4 pints: the average red blood cell transfusion.
- Blood fights infection and helps heal wounds.
- Four main blood types: A, B, AB and O. AB is the universal recipient, O negative is the universal donor.
- Blood centers often run short of types O and B blood. Shortages of all blood types happen during the summer and winter holidays.
- If all blood donors gave two to four times a year, it would help prevent blood shortages.
- 48 gallons: amount of blood you could donate if you begin at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach 76 years old.
- Three gallons of blood are used every minute in the United States.
- Four steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and snacks.
- The actual blood donation usually takes less than 10 minutes. The entire process - from the time you sign in to the time you leave - takes about an hour.
- Giving blood will not decrease your strength.
- You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
- 14 tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.
- Any company, community organization, place of worship or individual may contact their local community blood center to host a blood drive.
- People donate blood out of a sense of duty and community spirit, not to make money. They are not paid for their donation.
- Much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors. 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 tissue.
- One billion: the number of red blood cells in two or three drops of blood.
- Red blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system.
- Platelets support blood clotting and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
- Apheresis (ay-fur-ee-sis) is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets.
- 42 days: the shelf life of donated red blood cells.
- Five days: the shelf life of donated platelets.
- One year: the shelf life of frozen plasma.
- Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins and salts.
- Plasma, which is 90% water, constitutes 55% of blood volume.
- Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma and platelets.
- Car accident and other blood loss victims can need transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells.
- Bone marrow transplant patients need platelet donations from about 120 people and red blood cells from about 20 people.
- 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.
- Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their iron levels.
- Cancer, transplant and trauma patients, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive.
- Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease that affects more than 80,000 people in the United States, 98% of whom are of African descent.
- Some patients with complications from severe sickle cell disease receive blood transfusions every month - up to four pints at a time.
- 500,000: the number of Americans who donated blood in the days following the September 11 attacks.
- Females receive 53% of blood transfusions; males receive 47%.
- 94% of blood donors are registered voters.
- 60% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood - only 5% do.
- 17% of non-donors cite "never thought about it" as the main reason for not giving, while 15% say they're too busy.
- After donating blood, you replace these red blood cells within four weeks.
- It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.
- Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along blood vessel walls in search of bacteria to eat.
- White cells are the body's primary defense against infection.
- The #1 reason donors say they give is because they "want to help others."
- The #1 reason people say they don't give is because "no one asked me."
- We're asking. Please give blood.
