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Blood Bank
Facts About Blood Donation
- Voluntary blood donation motivated solely by humanitarian considerations is undoubtedly the safest and most effective way of providing blood of assured quality.
- Blood can be donated by socially-conscious individuals for its use by unknown patients (Voluntary Blood Donors) or by relatives of patients who require blood (Replacement donors)
- The Propagandas Officer, Medical Social Workers and doctors at the Blood Bank perpetually strive to encourage voluntary blood donation.
- A large number of organizations from the private and the public sectors as well as educational institutes and social service groups regularly organize blood donation camps for K.E.M. Blood Bank.
- Approximately, one hundred and fifty blood donation camps are conducted annually.
- Despite the enormous need for blood and the consequent large pool of relatives of patients requiring blood, the K.E.M. Blood Bank collects 75 - 85 % of its annual collection from voluntary donors and the rest from replacement (relative) donors. The annual collection is 36,000 units at K.E.M. Blood Bank.
| Who can donate blood |
| Autologous blood donations |
| Excuses that you should not make and reasons why not |
| How to donate blood |
| Pheresis & Apheresis |
- There is an ever-present need for blood transfusions and the demand usually exceeds the supply. The shortage of blood is particularly most acute during summer (vacation) months.
- Blood donation is a precious, life-saving gesture made by socially-conscious, humanitarian individuals
- Each unit can be used to save lives of not one but upto six or eight different patients. Blood collected at the K.E.M. Blood Bank is separated into components viz. Red cell concentrate, Platelet concentrate, Plasma and Cryoprecipitate. Each of these has specific uses and is transfused to different patients according to their needs. e.g. Red cell concentrates are used for patients with anemia’s, platelet concentrates or cryoprecipitate for patients with bleeding disorders, and plasma for patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Plasma is also fractioned further into more products viz Albumin, Gamma globulin and Factor IX complex concentrate, at the NPFC. These are used to treat more patients.
- Blood is perishable has a limited shelf-life. Therefore there is a need for regular blood donation, to ensure a constant, uniform supply of blood of blood to patients.
- Blood donated is not "lost" since the body quickly replaces the blood given thus making the donor eligible for repeated donations at approximately three months interval.
- All FDA-licensed blood banks ensure safe blood donation procedures whereby there is no risk of developing diseases like Hepatitis or AIDS by "donating" blood. All the blood collection sets as well as the lancets used for testing donors are completely sterile, used just once for that donor and are thereafter discarded.
- All voluntary blood donors are given a card which can be utilized for obtaining one unit of blood, for himself / herself or their immediate dependent relatives. This card is valid life-long.
General conditions of the donor
- Age : 18 to 60 years
- Weight : Not less than 45 kgs
- Hemoglobin percentage : Not less than 12.5 gm %
Conditions which make donors temporarily unfit for donation
- Jaundice: Defer for 1 year after full recovery.
- Malaria duly treated : Defer for 3 months (endemic), for 3 years (non endemic)
- Typhoid : Defer for 1 year after full recovery
- Surgical Operations: for 1 year after any major operations, for 3 months after minor operations.
- Transfusion of blood or its products: for 6 months after receiving the transfusion.
- Immunizations: usually for 4 weeks after vaccinations with anti tetanus, anti venom, anti diphtheria, and anti gas gangrene. For yellow fever defer for 15 days.
- Pregnancy: Defer till one year after childbirth.
- Drug ingestion: If on any medications, please inform the medical officer. Anti arrhythmic, anti convulsants, cytotoxic drugs – Permanently defer. Antibiotics (oral) - defer for 3 days. Injection Corticosteroids- defer for 7 days after last dose.
- Cough, cold, fever: Please inform medical officer who will decide the period of deferral.
- Tuberculosis: Defer for 5 years after cessation of symptoms and treatment.
- Blood Donation: Defer for 3 months after blood donation.
- Abortion: Defer for 6 months after abortion.
- Tattoo: Defer for 6 months after tattoo.
- Rabies vaccination: Defer for 1 year.
- Hepatitis in family or close contact: Defer for 1 year
- Pyelonephritis and acute cystitis : defer for 6 months after cessation of treatment and symptoms
- Dental surgery : defer for 6 months after dental surgery
Conditions which make donors permanently unfit for donation
- Severe allergic diseases
- Diabetic patients
- Myocardial infarction
- Hypertension
- Active Tuberculosis
- Renal diseases
- Venereal (Sexually Transmitted) Diseases
- Malignancy
- Epilepsy
- Two or more Vasovagal (fainting) attacks after blood donation
- High risk individuals for HIV
- Known carriers of Hepatitis B virus
- Open Heart Surgery, By pass surgery- Permanently defer
- History of active symptoms of heart disease / Coronary artery disease – Permanently Defer
- History of Cardiac medication- permanently defer
- Chronic liver disease with impaired function: Permanently defer.
- Asthmatics on steroids : permanently defer
- Schizophrenia : permanently defer
- Leprosy : permanently defer
- Polycythemia Vera: permanently defer
If you have practiced unsafe sex, please do not donate blood
-- You could be a carrier of HIV and could transmit it to innocent patients through blood transfusions. We do test all blood units for HIV, however even with the best of kits, this virus can escape detection during the early phases of the infection (window period).