Blood transfusions save the lives of thousands of people in the Mid-South every year. These are accident victims, premature babies, cancer patients, transplant recipients, heart surgery patients and people with blood disorders like Sickle Cell Anemia. They can all thank Lifeblood’s volunteer blood donors for their lives.

There are three basic types of donation: whole blood, double reds and platelets. Read on to find out which type of donation makes the most sense for you.

When you give whole blood, one pint of your blood is slowly withdrawn through a small tube and collected in a special type of bag. This is the basic type of blood donation, where you check in, give and walk out all in less than an hour. All Lifeblood donor centers accept this type of donation, as do our mobile blood centers.Whole blood donors can give every 56 days (eight weeks). This is the amount of time it takes for your body to fully recover from the donation and regenerate a pint of blood.

Because we are able to separate blood components and use them in very specific ways, a single whole blood donation can save the lives of as many as four people.

Lifeblood has the ability to collect two units of red blood cells in just one visit to our blood center. This donation, called double reds, is pretty similar to a standard blood donation with a few important differences.

1. We use a smaller needle, which makes the experience a bit more comfortable.
2. We utilize an automated blood collection procedure called apheresis, which separates your red blood cells from the platelets and plasma. As the red blood cells are collected, the platelets and plasma are returned back to you along with an infusion of saline, which makes you even more hydrated than before the donation.
3. The entire process takes about 20-30 minutes longer than a standard donation.

In order to qualify for double red donation, you must meet standard blood donation requirements plus have a hematocrit level of 40% or hemoglobin of 13.5.

Double red donors must wait 112 days (16 weeks) between donations.

Like double reds, platelets are collected through apheresis. However, when platelets are extracted the process is called plateletpheresis. During plateletpheresis, the platelets are collected while red blood cells and plasma are returned to your body.Platelets are important because they help control bleeding. When a blood vessel is damaged, platelets collect at the site of the injury and temporarily repair the tear. Platelets then activate substances in plasma, which form a clot and allow the wound to heal.

Cancer patients, organ and stem cell recipients, victims of traumatic injuries and patients undergoing open-heart surgery all require platelet transfusions to survive. Because platelets can only be stored for five days, the need is vast and continuous.

Fortunately, a platelet donor can give every two weeks.