Blood donor

Blood donor refers to an individual who voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation.

Overview

A blood donation typically involves the drawing of one standard unit of blood, which is equivalent to 450 ml or 0.47 litres. The process is done in a medical setting, supervised by medical professionals. The donor's health and suitability to donate blood are assessed prior to donation, and the blood is tested for infections known to be transmitted through blood, such as HIV and hepatitis.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for blood donation have been established to protect both the donor and the recipient. These criteria include age, weight, medical history, recent travel, and risky behaviors. In many countries, donors must be between 17 and 65 years old, weigh at least 50 kg, and be in good health.

Process

The blood donation process includes registration, a basic physical examination, donation, and post-donation refreshments. The actual blood draw takes about 10 minutes, while the entire process, from arrival to departure, takes about an hour.

Types of Donation

There are several types of blood donation:

• Whole blood donation: This is the most common type of blood donation, where approximately a pint of 'whole blood' is given. The blood is then separated into transfusable components – red cells, plasma, platelets.

• Apheresis: In this type of donation, the donor's blood is drawn and processed through a machine that separates out the most needed components before returning the rest of the blood to the donor.

• Double Red Cell Donation: This is similar to a whole blood donation, except a special machine is used to allow you to safely donate two units of red cells during one donation while returning your plasma and platelets to you.

• Plasma donation: Here, the liquid portion of the donor's blood is collected.

• Platelet donation: This involves the collection of the donor's platelets along with some plasma.

Benefits and Risks

Donating blood has benefits both for the donor and the recipient. The donor benefits from a health check, and the knowledge that they are helping others. The recipient benefits from the life-saving transfusion.

However, there are also risks involved in blood donation. These include bruising, fainting, and in rare cases, infection.

See Also

• Blood transfusion
• Blood bank
• Blood type
• Blood diseases