Talk:Blood donation

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 Blood donation was a good article candidate, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. Once the objections listed below are addressed, the article can be renominated. You may also seek a review of the decision if you feel there was a mistake.

Date of review: 8 November 2006

Contents

[edit] Iron test

What's this? by a simple iron test. A phlebotomist pricks the donor's finger and elicits a small drop of blood. This blood is placed into a chemical solution — if the blood is dense enough to sink in the solution, there is sufficient iron in the blood to donate. I have never seen this or heard of it. Standard procedure is probably a hemoglobin quickcheck with a hemoglobin photometer. Kosebamse 19:45, 10 Apr 2004 (UTC)

They did it to me. I can't say for sure if the person who pricked my finger was a phlebotomist (I have no idea what it means), or if they were really testing my iron levels, but it appears as though the finger-prick-sink-or-float is one standard way of doing it. I know for sure that different places bandage you differently after the donation, so they aren't absolutely uniform. Paullusmagnus 22:56, 11 Apr 2004 (UTC)
Phlebotomist is a person who is licensed to draw blood. I should start a page on that. I know they do the donation process, but not sure if they do the iron test.
Not sure what a "hemoglobin quickcheck" and "hemoglobin photometer" are. The process described here is how it was done for me the three times I've donated blood (Western NY, and Massachusetts). It seems very likely to me that different methods are used in different regions of the world, or with different administering agencies. Unfortunately neither the Red Cross page nor Britain's National Blood Service give further details, only saying that "iron content will be checked," so we can't reference it well. Kosebamse, perhaps you can add information about the iron test you're more familiar with?
--zandperl 02:41, 12 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I just created "phlebotomist" and someone there mentioned the hematocrit test. I think this all needs clarification. See also discussion at Talk:Phlebotomist. --zandperl 03:13, 12 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Some faith groups prohibit blood donation and transfusion. Is it worth mentioning this in the article? Adambisset 20:06, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Yes.

Does anyone have any history on how/when screening regulations were created? Cigarette 21:39, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC)

finger-prick-sink-or-float is how they do it whenever I've given in the UK. If the result from that is inconclusive, they then do another test.--JBellis 21:34, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Is this a good place to mention that homosexuals (males who have had sex with other males since 1977) as well as anyone who has been to Africa or had sex with someone who has been to Africa are prohibited from ever giving blood? Ickle 10:19, 23 Sept 2005

Watch your US-centricism. Obviously people who have been to Africa can donate blood in Africa, for instance, and the USA is the only place I know that has an outright ban on blood donation from any man who has had sexual contact with another man. NTK 20:13, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
The ban for gay men applies in the UK too. You are tested and may be asked to come back if you've been in a malarial country with in the last 6 months or if you've been in the USA (yes, believe it!) in the last 28 days due to a mosquito that is around during the summer and autumn months. DavidBoden 21:36, 11 January 2006 (UTC)
Incidentally, the public policy justification for these bans is very weak. For instance, the "sexual contact, even once" standard for man-on-man relations excludes even someone who had one gay blowjob with a condom in 1978 and has been tested for AIDS many times, whereas if you had unprotected sex with a prostitute 13 months ago that's fine. Or if you've had unprotected sex with an unlimited number of women of unknown status at any time. The ban on people who have lived in Africa or even had sex with someone who lived in Africa is equally indiscriminate. And it can't be justified on the grounds of simplicity, because the donation questionaires have almost 100 questions, and are extremely detailed. NTK 20:18, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
Obviously people who have been to Africa can donate blood in Africa, for instance, and the USA is the only place I know that has an outright ban on blood donation from any man who has had sexual contact with another man. Well, just to put a bit of perspective on it, in Norway, neither men who have or have had sexual contact with other men nor women who have had or have sexual contact with men in that category can give blood.

[edit] Donation time length

How long does it typically take for 500 ml to be donated? --Commander Keane 13:02, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

20-30 minutes. JFW | T@lk 14:24, 14 July 2005 (UTC)
I think it is less than that; it typically takes me 12-15 minutes to give blood (once I have been "plugged" to the pump). I'll check that next time I give blood. By the way I live in Quebec... but I guess the technology used here will be similar to yours. -- Hugo Dufort 22:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Invigoration/Benefits

"Anecdotally, elderly people in good health have reported feeling invigorated by giving blood on a regular basis."

Is this original research, or even accurate? Anecdotally, I have felt invigorated from donating blood, and I am 23. NTK 20:20, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
Personally, I've never felt invigorated. Feel-good for having done something good isn't the same thing. Anecdoatally again, I've heard that smokers get an extra 'kick' if they ignore the advice and light up immediatly afterwards. Similarly alcohol has a faster effect. --JBellis 11:32, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

Burns 650 calories may well be true but is hardly a benefit as donors need to eat extra to make up for the lost calories and in my view is an unhelpful way of looking at donation.--JBellis 11:32, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

I usually feel very tired, sometimes depressed after giving blood. It lasts 1-2 days. I think the feeling you get after donation is very subjective and may also depend on many factors (what you eat, physical activity, etc). In Quebec, you have to wait 56 days before giving blood again. Hopefully! Hugo Dufort 22:15, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I disagree, and believe the caloric debt should be corrected and restored. First for the correction: if the pint of blood is equivalenced to a literal pound of flesh, that is worth at least 1000 Kcalories based on the equivalent amount of grilled marbled steak. But even that is an underestimate. The most efficient feed-lot animals (chicken or farmed fish) convert feed into flesh with less than 3o% caloric efficiency (just imagine the elaborate biochemistry involved in breaking down foodstuffs and resynthesizing more of yourself.) Thus the caloric debt is plausibly in excess of 3500 Kcal, the very amount which must be lost to shed a pound of weight. Sure the Red Cross gives you a donut or two, but few people treat themselves to the equivalent of a glutton's feast after a blood donation. The relevance of all this in my opinion is that donation at the maximum rate of 6X per year can easily offset the couple of pound upward drift that is common in middle age and beyond. To be sure, so could leaches!

I don't think that you can directly compare blood and muscle as blood clearly has a much higher proportion of water.--JBellis 19:43, 26 March 2006 (UTC)
Blood is a good deal thicker than water! The packed red cell volume in males is 55% and the remaining plasma is 20% protein. By comparison, raw meat has 70% water by volume. I still hold that a pint of blood is a pound of flesh!
Where does that 55% figure come from? The article on hematocrit indicates typical values of 42-52%, and in my (admittedly scanty) experience it's usually towards the low end of that range. And given that those red blood cells still contain a fair volume of water themselves... --Calair 01:02, 27 March 2006 (UTC)
I'm new to contributing to Wikipedia and won't try to reinsert the line I wrote about calories burned from donating blood without support from others. However, I searched blood donating on Wikipedia specifically for this information and I do think it is a helpful fact to know. While it is true that blood donated must be replenished by eating more, those whose bodies are less sensitive to blood donation may be able to consume additional nutrients more slowly than others, thereby achieving some minor weight loss advantage. More importantly, people on strict diets who count calories and still want to donate blood would find such information useful to know how much they should supplement their diets to compensate for nutrients lost during donation. Am I the only one with this opinion? JBellis, I'd appreciate your response.--Gimeral 21:26, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
I didn't delete your line from the article and I'm not a nutritionist so I couldn't really attempt to answer your question. I believe that it is medical advice to eat soon after doning. --JBellis 22:28, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
Thank you JBellis for your response and sorry for confusing your actions with those of another. Jfdwolff, could I get your thoughts?--Gimeral 02:47, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
Please re-add this figure if you've got good reason to believe it's in the right ballpark. I just got back from giving blood and I was interested how many pizza slices I can eat to balance my ying and yang :) DavidBoden 21:35, 11 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Preparation

I hear that in some countries (e.g. Italy) the session must happen in the morning and the donor is required not to have eaten anything for 12 hours before the donation, supposedly to get "purer" blood. Is that true? If so, why do other countries not do that? Thanks. PizzaMargherita 23:52, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

You're not thinking of blood tests maybe? Things like blood-sugar testing often require fasting before a sample's taken, but I've never heard of it in connection with donation before. --Calair 00:18, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

Ok, I found a reference

Bisogna essere a digiuno per donare sangue?
Il mattino del prelievo è preferibile essere a digiuno o aver fatto una colazione leggera a base di frutta fresca o spremute, thè o caffè poco zuccherati, pane non condito o altri carboidrati.

This roughly translates to

Q: Do I need to fast before I give blood?
A: In the morning of the drawing it's preferable to have fasted or have had a light breakfast based on dried fruit or fruit juice, tea or coffee with little sugar, bread with no dressing or other carbohydrates.

Other references mandate (as opposed to prefer) an 8-hour fast before the donation. In other countries I'm pretty sure they suggest to eat something before you give blood. PizzaMargherita 00:51, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

Yes, Australian Red Cross certainly does[1]: "Please ensure that you drink plenty of fluids (at least four glasses) in the hours leading up to your donation and that you eat something healthy and substantial beforehand." American Red Cross[2] encourages donors to "Have a good breakfast or lunch", but also to avoid fatty foods because they can interfere with screening for diseases. Doesn't mention carbs, but I wonder if the Italian rules are for similar reasons? If somebody can find out, it might be worth adding to the page. --Calair 01:47, 13 February 2006 (UTC)
... yes in the US they do advise one to arrive on a full stomach :) so to avoid fainting afterwards maybe -- the donors are generally supposed to be able to drive themselves home after all! and by the way, they also require not to take any caffeine. Asking to fast before giving blood, odd... except if they offer real good lunch right after the deal, that might do it just as well, I guess. - Introvert ~? 04:01, 13 February 2006 (UTC)
"except if they offer real good lunch right after the deal"—funny you should say that, I was told they actually do...
"avoid fatty foods because they can interfere with screening for diseases"—This makes a lot of sense. The Italian guidelines seem to be: eat some carbs (though little sugar?!?), so you can stand up, but no fats please. PizzaMargherita 07:25, 13 February 2006 (UTC)
The UK advice is Drink loads of liquid before and after you donate - and not the alcoholic variety please. Eat your regular meals too, and do let us know if you've skipped a meal on the day.[3] Note no abstaining from caffeine or smoking. I think that it's question of balance between getting 'good' blood and taking care of doners.
I have donated blood almost every two months in the United States for the past several years, first with the Red Cross and more recently with the NY Blood Center. They definitely do encourage you to eat before donating; the last time I donated they specifically asked about it during the screening. I have never been told to avoid fatty foods and definitely not to avoid caffeine; strange that you mention that, because I have become a coffee addict and definitely had a good bit of caffeine in my system the last time I donated. In fact in all the literature I have read I have not even found any proscriptions against drinking alcohol beforehand either, obviously they are not going to let someone stumble in drunk and donate, but it seems that even if someone had a drink or two beforehand that is acceptable, given the fact that they ask fifty different questions, including if you have taken aspirin in the past two days, they certainly aren't neglecting to ask about fatty foods, caffeine, or alcohol. NTK 12:44, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

In response to the "{{unreferenced|date=August 2006}}" tag on this section, I took the liberty of rewriting this section. I moved the "check with your local blood bank" sentence to the top of the paragraph to emphasize its importance. I rewrote the description of the requirements a bit, relying specifically on the web sites for several countries' blood banks. If other countries have substantially different requirements from the sources I used, please make the appropriate edits (like you need me to tell you that). I left the "some countries require a fast" sentence in place, even though none of the countries I cited to impose that requirement; I added the "{{citeneeded}}" tag to that sentence. I see that there's a possible cite earlier in this discussion, but I didn't want to add that cite myself since I can't verify the translation. Kickaha Ota 22:02, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Complications

I've been trying to find more information about complications and so far the internet has not turned up anything other then bruising. No time duration for bruising or other symptoms are discussed. I also have a hard time believing 1% of people get bruises as for me personally it's more like 25% of the time. Regardless a week ago I gave blood and the last few nights I've been waking up with my arm really hurting. The bruise is also showing a bit of a direction towards my wrist. A slightly injured shoulder above the arm is really starting to hurt in concert with the arm during the night... Could laying down cause an increase in the pain compared to standing? Should I seek medical attention? Has there been anyone else have these kind of symptoms? It would be nice to have more information or a link to more in-depth complication studies. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by GeorgeHorlacher (talk • contribs).

Having real complications here will stun a lot of protential blood donators. Listen to your own body. Not the propaganda. --Leo 21:56, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
Hang on, so you mean this article should be written with the express purpose of encouraging blood donation, rather than providing balanced facts as completely as we can to produce an encyclopedic article? 86.139.237.132 00:04, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

I have donated blood a total of six times. Around the fourth time I got mildly light headed and needed to lay down. Now I gave for the 6th time today and I nearly passed out. I was at the point where my hands and feet felt like they were asleep (pins and needles.) While recovering one of the phlebotomists(?) mentioned that some people, once they start getting light headed from donating, actually have a higher chance in the future of passing out and will actually experience a worsening of that complication on subsequent donations. I don’t want to stop donating (as was suggested) so I was looking for information on this. Does anyone know if this is true, and if so maybe it should be included in this section of the article? I'm looking for any research or information on that now and if I find any I'll post it here. --Jeremyh113 19:42, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removing external links

I'm proposing culling the entire "External links" section. Having a list of blood donation agencies is

  1. something anyone can find using Google (especially if they're looking for a local agency), and
  2. adds nothing to the article.

Unless there is some serious objection, I'll remove it soonish. dewet|™ 17:22, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree that it doesn't add much to the article as it stands, but national blood donation agencies are significant enough that ideally, they'd have articles of their own one day. Rather than completely deleting the info, maybe shunt it to something like List of blood donation agencies, and link to that from the See Also here? --Calair 23:07, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
My problem isn't so much with the list (although I share JFW's notability concern, and it would be a mission to keep updated), but rather the external linking; we could definitely start the "List of..." article you propose, and then simply have wikilinks to the agencies. While they are redlinks, they'll be invitations for others to start editing. Is that a suitable compromise? dewet|™ 06:26, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
Sounds good to me. --Calair 09:58, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
Allright, done. dewet|™ 10:07, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

What would make these individual organisations notable? JFW | T@lk 23:21, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

As an example, "Australian Red Cross Blood Service" gets 69 thousand Google hits. The ARCBS has been the subject of major Australian news stories more than once - e.g. a Hep C contamination scandal, and controversy over what should be done to protect blood recipients from CJD. (There was a front-page blowup a while back about blood freely donated to the ARCBS ending up in for-product research or products, though it would take me more digging to get good refs for that one.) It has an annual operating budget of AU$260 million[4].
A national blood bank is a significant part of a nation's health system, and has to deal with some fairly controversial issues - while things like Hep C and CJD affect every blood service, each organisation deals with those issues in its own ways, and that tends to provide enough of interest to make them notable. I'm not volunteering to write the content for those articles myself, but I do think there is enough out there to make most if not all of the national-level blood banks notable when somebody gets around to writing it. --Calair 23:52, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
  • At least some of those external links served as source references for the otherwise purely speculative article... don't you think? - Introvert ~? 08:58, 24 March 2006 (UTC)
The argument (at least according to WP:EL) is still that it doesn't add anything to the article that you couldn't find using a search engine. And if I'm looking for more information, it certainly doesn't help that I'm presented with 10+ links to different sites -- I won't know where to start looking. But the problem is that once you allow one, you open the floodgates. dewet|™ 09:05, 24 March 2006 (UTC)
Yes, I agree with your point that there must be a fair balance, and that flooding with generic external links never seems too good an idea... but, there must be sources cited too, isn't that what wikipedia is about? The solution seems to be, not to just add links to those sites relevant yet only providing some general info, or exacting from the readers lots of extra movements in search of the information, but to cite as precisely as possible only those pages, which corroborate (if not expand upon) the information presented in the article. That's my humble understanding of this weird and wonderful world of wikipedia... ~? - Introvert ~? 04:19, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Use/discard bar codes?

When I donated in the USA in 1997, I was given two bar-code stickers and left in privacy to stick the appropriate one on the blood bag (or maybe it was on the paperwork, I don't now recall). The idea was to deal with the danger of at-risk people giving blood just to get a free HIV test - one sticker meant the blood would be tested but not given to patients, the other meant it was OK to use (pending the usual testing). Anybody more familiar with the US donation process feel like mentioning this in the article? --Calair 03:24, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Part of the problem here is that the US has no one standard set of blood procedures. The American Red Cross is a nationwide provider with standardized procedures, so that's a good reference point, but there are regional blood centers where different procedures are used. For example, at the center where I currently donate, patients are not given barcodes in this way. Instead, they are given a phone number that they can call after the donation if the blood should not be used (and several questions asked during the screening procedure emphasize that blood donation is not an appropriate way to get an HIV test). Kickaha Ota 16:20, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

I just donated today actually. Here in Canada, they have this. After the nurse checks your blood pressure, heart rate, checks your arms for needle marks, asks all the high risk questions etc. etc. they leave the little cubicle and there are two stickers that say "Use my blood" and "Do not use my blood". It's basically just because they know that there will be people who will use blood donation as a means of having themselves tested for STD's and there's really nothing they can do about it. This is just because the tests are not 100% accurate and a person will be able to get themselves tested still but they can anonymously have their blood discarded rather than used, they still get tested but hopefully have the sense to keep others away from such a risk. In Canada all blood donation is handled by Canadian Blood Services, a government organization so everything is standard.

The same process is used by Héma-Québec. -- Hugo Dufort 22:09, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] fainting

I just donated blood today and I fainted near the end of operation. I lost all energy and everything went black, then I remember waking up with doctors struggling to keep me down because I was really tense (it was quite scary)

I noticed the article make no mention of fainting, perhaps that should be added.



Agreed, I fainted today too, and I think it is a part of blood donation and should be included. Also, my blood was taken with a bloodmobile, maybe those should be mentioned too.

The 'Complications' section says: "During or shortly after the donation, hypovolemia may occasionally lead to a drop in blood pressure with some donors experiencing light-headedness or fainting." --Calair 00:30, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Sure it should be in there. It isn't overly common in healthy individuals, but the lowered blood sugar levels can cause lightheadedness, dizzyness, fainting etc. etc. That's what the cookies and sugar juice are for.


We had a blood drive at my school that I decided to take part in. My blood pressure is already fairly low - it's between 90-120 / 50-60 most days. Before I gave blood, it was 118/56. About five minutes into the procedure, I began feeling light-headed and started to see stars, so I decided I'd ask the nurse "About how light-headed should I feel?" just to double-check. She then told me that I shouldn't be at all, so she quickly disconnected the needle, elevated my legs, and laid my head down flat. Then she gave me cool, damp rags for my head and stomach as well as a can of soda. It was somewhat alarming, but it happened to several other people that day - I noticed one of my friends in the same position as I was leaving the donation area, and before I donated I watched as a nurse laid a girl on the floor and put her feet up on a chair, also placing damp towels on her head and stomach.

So apparently, it's normal. Dakana2511 02:05, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External link as resource?

I posted a question at the List of blood donation agencies talk seeking input from anyone interested and able to spare a few minutes and check out the reference in question... is the site indeed a valuable resource, any thoughts? ~ thanks much in advance for help - Introvert • ~ 22:08, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

I think, you`d better name some outstanding people, who donated or did smth as blood volunteers. This information is needed. Thow it is not so simple to get it (my own experience). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 89.110.9.254 (talk • contribs).on 17:35, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for the comment. I agree. - Introvert • ~ 08:32, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Donations vs. Selling

Should there be something in this article about why blood cannot be sold (but plasma can) in the United States? (I'd add it if I could remember, but sadly I do not.) --Dr Archeville 14:23, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

I am curious about this topic too. I donate blood regularly, but often I wonder why I should go through this expense of time and discomfort without compensation on the behalf of someone getting a surgery--maybe even a cosmetic surgery--if the person undergoing the surgery has the ability to compensate me for my efforts. I am happy to donate blood to the poor who can't afford it, but why the charity for the rich? I live in the U.S. and most people in this country have more money than I do. There are clearly no widespread ideas that "blood should be free for everyone," because the blood donation agency and the hospital both charge the patient for my blood. --L. Bartlett 03:39, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

I also think this is an important subject to include (or link to a new article). IMO the selling of blood has played a role in spreading blood born diseases such as HIV (eg injection drug users selling blood to get a fix). It was also an impetus in the Health_Management_Associates_Scandal. --Mm1972 20:12, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

Paying money for blood donations is plain and simple a bad idea. It's unfortunate, but the bottom line is that when you have a process by which people can make money quickly, easily, and without having to sacrifice anything tangible they're going to miss, it attracts a certain demographic. Such a program is more likely to attract members of the lower economic group of society. Statistically, the least well off members of society are far more likely to carry transmitable diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, etc. etc. It isn't unfair or prejudiced anymore than insurance companies charging higher premiums for younger drivers is. It's merely a statistical truth. Plasma donation, at least in Canada whose system I'm familiar with, is a more involved process than blood donation. Under certain circumstances, those who wish to donate must have a physical examination and are put through more rigorous screening than blood donars are.

Here in Canada I think this is solid and sale of blood isn't something up for debate. Due to the private nature of American health care though, I can see it being a different story. But even still, though the testing methods for blood are extremely accurate, as we know, mistakes can always be made. The costs of compensation of patients who have been exposed to tainted blood is absolutely enormous in some cases. So they have to take any possible precaution they can do ensure their sources are safe. That's why they ask all those ultra personal questions ie. "Have you paid for sex.... Have you had sex with another man.... etc. etc." It's all risk assessment.

The key point about giving rather than selling is that there is little incentive to lie in response to the 'personal' questions if there is no financial incentive.--JBellis 14:23, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bloodmobile

I started a new page on bloodmobiles but I have no idea how to format a page. If anyone feels nice they can make it so it fits in with this page better, expand it, or merge it with this one whilst adding information. That would be greatly appreciated. --Meissmart 15:45, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

I've merged the information on Bloodmobile to this article's introduction and made a redirect to this article, but if it is worth expanding it as an article in its' own right then it can still be revived. Alternately start a new section in this article to expand the topic. --apers0n 16:11, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
Thank you--Meissmart 16:24, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] GA status

On hold: entire sections are unreferenced and the stray link at the bottom of the Complications section needs taken care of. Rlevse 01:25, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

GA failed, no response to concerns. Rlevse 17:27, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Frequency

In Quebec (where I live), we have to wait at least 56 days between two donations [5]. Maybe it would be nice to include similar figures for the Rest of Canada, the US, and other countries. Hugo Dufort 22:18, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

The waiting period is noted in the Recovery section, although not stating the exact number of days as it may be different depending on the country, blood bank rulings, etc. Such kind of generalized phrasing I think is quite correct here because I don't believe that over-detailing with all the rules from all over would be justified but at the same time, only stating some particular rules from some particular country or place would be a bias that better be avoided. I hope my answer satisfies you but please post further if I missed the point or if you think you disagree. Regards - Introvert • ~ 01:35, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, I think we're better off giving an approximate figure and referring people to their local blood banks for country-specific info. Occasionally it's useful to give a specific country as an example, but we shouldn't expect this article to be exhaustive in detailing every country's requirements. --Calair 06:57, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Best before

How long does the blood last when not frozen for 10 years? 193.111.195.35 19:00, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

According to the cool video here: http://www.bloodservices.ca/CentreApps/Internet/UW_V502_MainEngine.nsf/page/E_Discovery?OpenDocument
Red Cells can be stored refrigerated for 42 days, plasma can be frozen and kept for 1 year, and platelets are kept at room temperature for up to 5 days. It doesn't mention whole blood. Hmm.
Oh, a different page on the same site says 35 days for whole blood. http://www.bloodservices.ca/CentreApps/Internet/UW_V502_MainEngine.nsf/page/Blood%20Shelf%20Life?OpenDocument
That's in Canada, but it is probably similar in most other countries. 207.81.137.81 21:43, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What is heavy lifting?

"Donors are discouraged from heavy exercise or lifting until the next day."

Does use of crutches count as heavy lifting? Are people who use crutches disqualified from donating? American Red Cross's tips page doesn't seem to state one way or the other what counts as "strenuous physical activity or heavy lifting", and I can't tell from ARC's eligibility guidelines whether use of crutches makes one not "healthy". Are other organizations' sites more informative? --Damian Yerrick (talk | stalk) 14:24, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Donor Card

When do you get a donor card in Canada? I donated once and plan on doing it again. WestJet 17:55, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

They should mail it to you a few weeks after your first donation. If it has been more than a month you might want to call them and find out what's up. 207.81.137.81 19:07, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
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