Blood donors, a challenge for the healthcare system

Donating blood is a key issue for saving lives, reminds the World Health Organization.

Donating blood would be ideal occasionally, not only when it’s a family member or a friend requires it for some reason.

An eligible person can donate every three months, up to four times a year and on each occasion only one liter of blood is drawn, says Dr. Benito Castillo, hematologist and head of the Paitilla Hospital Blood Bank.

Only plasma can be extracted each 15 days, up to a maximum of 15 liters per year and platelets can be taken every 72 hours, no more than 2 times a week, no more than 24 times a year,” he explains.

The doctor provides some very relevant data to put into perspective the effect of donating a pint of blood to those who need it.

– From half a liter of whole blood of 480 ml divided by 280 ml of 1 concentrate is obtained by centrifugation red blood cells that are used to raise the hemoglobin needed for better tissue oxygenation.

– + 150 ml 1 bag of plasma with components which improve coagulation.

– + 50 ml 1 bag of platelet concentrate (but 4-7 bags of platelet concentrate are needed for 1 single transfusion x platelet concentrate) which are cellular elements that contain bleeding.

– In everything you can help 3 adults or several babies which use only a fraction of the component, since several babies can be transfused from one unit

There are several conditions that require regular blood transfusions and who are directly affected by not having it, among them Dr. Castillo tells us:

– Hereditary diseases such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, non-immune hemolytic anemia.

– Diseases cancer, leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

– Autoimmune conditions such as hemolytic anemia or aplastic anemia.

– Chronic diseases such as Chronic kidney disease