Blood donations save lives every day. They are used in a wide variety of different situations and to treat a large number of different illnesses and conditions.
Different components
After your blood has been collected for donation, it is sent for testing in a laboratory. Here, it is screened for various viruses and infections, such as HIV and hepatitis. If the blood passes this screening, it will usually be separated into different components. In this way, your blood donation can be used to help several different patients. Once the blood has been separated, it is distributed to hospitals all over the country.
The different components that blood donations are split into are outlined below.
Whole blood
If someone receives whole blood, it means the blood has not been separated into its different components. However, whole blood is rarely used any more and is only useful in cases of severe blood loss.
Red blood cells
Red blood cells are the cells that carry oxygen around the body in a substance known as haemoglobin.
Red blood cells are often used to treat types of anaemia which do not always respond to other forms of treatment, such as medication. For example, sickle cell anaemia (a genetic condition that stops the red cells from carrying enough oxygen) is sometimes treated using red cells.
Red blood cells are often also used to replace blood that is lost as a result of an accident, surgery or during childbirth. In some cases, these cells are also used before operations and surgical procedures. For example, you may need pre-operative red blood cells if you are severely anaemic or have severe burns.
Platelets
Platelets are the cells in your blood that help it to clot. They are often used to treat bone marrow failure. Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside your bones that helps produce new blood cells. When the bone marrow is not able to produce enough cells, it is known as bone marrow failure.
Platelets are also used to treat leukaemia (a form of cancer that affects the blood cells).
Plasma
Plasma is a yellow-coloured fluid that helps carry all the different types of blood cells. Plasma can be either frozen or processed.
Frozen plasma is used to help replace blood lost during childbirth or cardiac (heart) surgery. It can also be used to reverse anti-coagulant treatment by encouraging the blood to clot.
Processed plasma is used to treat haemophilia (a condition that stops your blood from clotting normally). It is also used to help produce a substance known as anti-D. This substance helps prevent a condition known as rhesus disease, which occurs when antibodies in a mother's blood attack her baby's blood cells.
Terminal illness
As well as saving lives, blood donations can also help improve the quality of life of people with a terminal illness. A blood transfusion may be able to give them the energy to spend time with their friends and relatives that they might not have otherwise had.
