Q: What is blood? How much blood does a person have? A: Blood is the red coloured fluid flowing continuously in our body's circulatory system. About 1/12th of the body weight of a healthy individual is blood. On an average there are about 5 - 6 litres of blood present. Q: What is the composition of blood? A: Blood contains mainly a fluid called plasma in which are suspended cellular elements.

The human body is a non-stop,24-hour blood manufacturing factory! And it carries on working, without any special effort from you, while you are busy in your office, or studying, sleeping, eating, laughing, dancing, playing a game of tennis... Production of red cells... Red cells have a life of only 120 days and are replenished by fresh cells throughout one's life. The new cells are formed in the bone marrow and transported through fine bones to the bloodstream. On a normal basis the rate of loss and reproduction is about 50 millilitres per 24 hours.

Blood donation requires external motivation - most people are easily misled by misconceptions and hesitate to donate blood. Some are scared at the thought of a needle poking their vein to collect blood. Some others feel faint at the sight of blood. Here is some scientific evidence that will clarify most misconceptions. Will I become weak and anemic after donating blood? Donating blood is unlikely to make a person weak or anemic. If the person is already anemic, then the person will not be allowed to donate blood. What happens to the blood I lose?

Here is a brief summary of the blood donation process for you.

The Medical Questionnaire has to be completed prior to each donation. It covers health, lifestyle and medical questions used to assess your eligibility to donate, and to ensure the donation is safe for both you and for recipients. All information provided is strictly confidential.

The blood you donate is tested for

1. Hepatitis B
2. Hepatitis C
3. Malarial parasite,
4. HIV/AIDs
5. venereal diseases

in addition to any other screening tests required to ensure blood safety While filling up the registration form you may opt to know the results of the tests conducted on your blood. In case the blood bank finds any abnormality, you will be informed accordingly and called again to the blood bank. The results of the first test are not absolute. Any conclusion may be drawn only after a proper comprehensive repeat test.

A liver transplant patient, on average, will need six - 10 units of red blood cells, 20 units of plasma and 10 units of platelets (or one - two units of apheresis platelets). A kidney transplant patient, on average, will need one - two units of red blood cells. A heart transplant patient, on average, will need four - six units of red blood cells. An adult open-heart surgery patient, on average, will need two - six units of red blood cells, two - four units of plasma and one - 10 units of platelets (or one - two units of apheresis platelets). A newborn open-heart surgery, on average, will need

Why should I become a regular blood donor? As you know, blood is a life saving medicine, which works wonders in certain medical treatments, and life threatening situations. It is an emergency medicine. Our society is today threatened by scarcity of blood. The only source of blood right now is human being. This issue has got further complexes by professional donors, who donate blood for money. These donors have contributed towards rapid spread of killer diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C in the society.

If I was told that I cannot donate blood today, does that mean I can never donate blood ? No!. Most of the reasons for asking a donor not to donate are based on temporary medical conditions. There are some medical problems which have a defer period in which you will not be allowed to donate blood.

Before you come to donate blood please do the following things.

Why Blood Components? In modern medicine there is no room for whole blood. Developed countries have switched over to blood components for more than 20 years. Unfortunately in India still 95% of the blood is used as whole blood. By making blood components, all the useful parts of blood can be used. In whole blood, platelets die and clotting factors become ineffective and the patient receives unwanted and ineffective components How much Blood can I donate? Eligible donors (any body between 18 to 60 years of age and leading a healthy life) with weight above 50 kgs.