1. How much of blood you are going to take from me?
Less than 8ml per Kg weight of your body.
2. Why this number 8ml/kg body weight?
Blood volume in men -76ml/kg of body weight
Blood volume in women- 66ml/ kg of body weight
Volume of blood in circulation required for routine work- 50 ml/Kg body weight
Excess blood possessed by Men-26ml/kg body wt and Women-16ml/Kg body weight
One can safely part with 8ml of blood per kg body weight
In our country minimum weight prescribed is 45 kg
45X8ml/kg= 360ml of blood.
3. Won’t it make me tired? Should I take special nutritional care after blood donation? How much time will my body take to recuperate?
No special diet, rest or medicines required. Plasma recuperates within 48 hrs. cells will take 21 days to recuperate. Only advise given is drink lot of fluids and do not exert yourself by doing hard work on the day of donation.
4. Blood collected from the vein is rich in carbon dioxide content. What purpose does it serve?
Though the blood collected from the vein is rich in carbon dioxide, it is transfused in the vein of the recipient and is automatically oxygenated in the course of circulation.
5. The maximum life span of RBC is 120 days. Why the blood is preserved in bank for only 35 days?
Donated blood contains RBCs ranging from 1 to 120 days life span. Naturally cells having such varied life spans cannot be stored for 120 days in the bag since in that case there will only be a few living cells present. In order to get a considerable number of living cells present in the blood for transfusion, 35 days shelf life found to be optimum with CPDA solution on the basis of various experiments.
6. Will there be any good if blood is transfused to a patient on the 34th day after collection from the donor?
It will serve the purpose of volume expander. There will still be considerable number of living blood cells present in the bag which will be able to carry oxygen to the cells.
7. What is this artificial blood?
The research is in a preliminary stage. The term artificial blood is a misnomer as blood has various functions. The so called artificial blood can only carry oxygen to the cells and bring back the carbon dioxide in a limited way, but cannot perform any other functions at all. Further they are expensive.
8. Why should a donor not smoke for half an hour after donation?
Nicotine cause constriction of small blood vessels in brain and may cause giddiness/ faint.
9. Why should I donate blood? How am I benefitted?
First, it displays your altruistic behavior. Secondly, it reduces iron levels espe-cially in men and helps to maintain cholesterol level so that the chances of heart attacks is reduced.
10. Who can donate blood?
Age: 18yrs-60yrs
Weight: 45kg or more
Haemoglobin content:12.5gm % or more
General Medical condition: Blood pressure, Pulse rate, condition of heart, liver should be normal. He/She should not have suffered from major ailments like jaundice, malaria in the recent past. However, before donation attending doctor of the blood bank examines the intending donor and allows him/her to donate blood on being satisfied.
Dr Suma M N
Asst Professor of Pathology
MVJ MC & RH
Bangalore