About donation
It is unlikely that there is a person who would not hear the word “donor” or the expression “blood transfusion”. These two concepts are closely interconnected. Blood transfusion is one of the most effective ways to treat many diseases, it is successfully used in the treatment of blood loss of injuries, wounds, during childbirth, and heavy operations. In addition, there are many diseases (leukemia, hemophilia, peptic ulcer), the treatment of which also requires transfusion of blood components.
The word “donation” comes from the Latin word Donare (gift, donation, charity), which means the voluntary provision of part of the blood, its components, as well as other tissues or organs for medical purposes in favor of the patient that needs it. The donation of blood and its components is most widespread.
Blood is a living tissue. Blood transfusion or its cell components from the donor to the recipient (hemotransfusion), is, in fact, transplantation (tissue transplantation). In many cases, it is donor blood that saves life.
The most common way is to donate whole blood. It is taken from a vein on an average of 450 ml at a time and lasts 5-10 minutes. You can donate not whole blood, but its components, for example, plasma – the procedure is called plasmapheresis, or platelets – thrombocytapheresis.
During these procedures, only the component necessary for clinical use is selected from the blood of the donor, and all other components return to the bloodstream.
So, the dose of platelets can be obtained from 450 ml of whole donor blood, but most patients need several doses at once. Thrombocytapheresis allows you to increase the amount of platelets from one donor, the volume taken during the procedure includes about 200×109 cells dissolved in a small (150-200 ml) plasma amount. As a rule, the capture of platelets is carried out on special devices, requires a certain preparation of the donor and can last more than an hour.
Plasmapheresis procedures are carried out much more often. There are two ways to conduct them: manual or also called “intermittent”, when the donor is taken away from the blood, immediately centrifuges, divided into red blood cells and plasma. The red blood cells are returned to the donor, and the plasma is specially processed for the subsequent transfusion of recipients. With automatic plasmapheresis, the process occurs using a special apparatus continuously. The whole procedure takes 30-40 minutes.
In order not to harm his health, the donor must withstand the intervals between blood donation procedures. Solop blood can be donated once every two months, but no more than 5 times a year. Plasma or platelets can be taken once every two weeks.
Taking blood and its components from the donor is permissible only if the donor’s health is not harmful.
How to become a donor?
How to prepare for blood donation?
Contraindications to donation