Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
Whole blood is simply our blood as it flows in our bodies – with none of its components separated or removed. In medicine, whole blood is an uncommon type of transfusion. It is used to treat patients who need large amounts of all the components of blood, such as those who have sustained significant blood loss due to trauma or heart surgery.
Whole blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, all of which are suspended in a liquid called plasma. Whole blood and each of it’s four components are all valuable tools in modern medicine.
The amount of blood in a person’s body depends on their size (the bigger the person’s body is, the more blood it will contain). A newborn baby’s body will contain only around a cup of blood whereas a 150-180 lb. adult will have approximately 1.2-1.5 gallons (or 10 units) of blood in their body. Blood is approximately 10% of an adult’s weight.
Our red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, make up about 45% of the volume of our blood. The remaining 55% is liquid plasma.
Whole blood is used to help patients in 2 ways. It can be transfused into a single patient. Whole blood can also be separated into its specific components of red cells, plasma and platelets. These components can be given to different patients, which is why we say that a donation of one unit or pint of whole blood can help multiple people. (Although white blood cells are sometimes used in medicine, they are not derived from a whole blood donation.)
Recent studies show that there is a need for blood transfusions every 2 seconds. Whole blood is the simplest, most common type of blood donation. An appointment to donate whole blood can take as little as one hour, and the actual donation is only 8-10 minutes of that time. 38% of the population in the United States are eligible to donate blood, but only 3% of us actually donate.
