It is a red colored, viscous liquid, which flows in blood vessels throughout the body. It has two parts. The first part by 55% volume is called Plasma. It is light yellow in color. The second part is cellular (45% by volume) and contains different types cells viz. Red Cells, White cells, Platelets. Red cells are found in millions, Platelets in lakhs and white cells thousands. The ratio is found as for 600 red cells, there are 40 platelets and one white cell.
Life span of Blood Cells:
Blood is the transport system of our body.
Red cells transport gases like Oxygen (O2) from lungs to each and every cell of our body and Carbon-dioxide (CO2) produced by the cells is transported back to the lungs to be exhaled out.
Plasma transport food material (glucose, amino-acids, etc.) to the tissues and carries back waste material like carbon dioxide to lungs and urea to liver and kidneys. Similarly it also transports hormones, vitamins and minerals across the body.
White blood cells in blood fight infections. They act like protectors fighting with foreign elements in blood system.
Platelets in blood help in forming a platelet plug to prevent loss of blood, whenever there is an injury, internal or external they clog that part.
Our blood cells, viz. Red Cells, White cells and Platelets are made by cells called “Progenitor Cells” in bone marrow of few bones like femur (thigh bone),scapula(hip bone) etc. Bone marrow is a dull red colored tissues present in the central cavity of the bones.
Liquid part of blood called Plasma has mainly water with proteins dissolved in it. These proteins are mainly made by liver.
The life span of red cells is about 120 days, and that of platelets is about 7-9 days in human body. The cells and proteins keep getting replenished inside the body.
The blood volume is around 70ml/kg body weight. So a young healthy adult of 70 Kg would have 5 liters of blood (4900ml) to be precise.
As we mentioned earlier blood is a mix of various cells and plasma. Primarily Red Blood Cells (RBC), Platelets and Plasma. These cells and plasma have different functions to perform. A patient never requires whole blood but only particular components. Besides these components have different life span and storage conditions.
The blood is separated into its components through the process of centrifugation. From a single unit of blood, we get one unit each of red cells (RC), platelets (PC), Plasma (FFP).Plasma can be further separated into Cryoprecipitate (CRYO) and Cryo-Poor Plasma (CPP).
Blood groups are the results of antigens (large protein molecules) which are present on red blood cells. Primarily there are two such antigens A & B which decide our ABO blood group.
ABO blood groups were first discovered by Dr. Landsteiner in 1900. Rh antigen was discovered forty years later again by Dr. Landsteiner and Weiner. Rh gets it name from Rhesus monkey, in whom it was discovered. On the basis of these antigens or in combination the blood groups are decided as given below.
| Antigen A & B | Antigen Rh (Yes/No) | Blood Group | Can Donate Blood to | Can receive Blood from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Yes | A+ | A+,AB+ | A+,A-,O+,O- |
| B | Yes | B+ | B+,AB+ | B+,B-,O+,O- |
| A & B | Yes | AB+ | AB+ | A+,B+,AB+,O+,O-,A-,B-.AB- (Universal recipients) |
| Neither A nor B | Yes | O+ | A+,AB+,B+,O+ | O+,O- |
| A | No | A- | A+,AB+,A-,AB- | A-,O- |
| B | No | B- | B+,AB+,B-,AB- | B-,O- |
| A & B | No | AB- | AB- | A-,B-,AB-,O- |
| Neither A nor B | No | O- | Everyone A+,B+,AB+,O+,A-,B-,AB-,O- | Only O- |
Blood Donation gives a great feeling of touching someone’s life in a beautiful way. It is an experience that no words can define. You have to donate blood to get this feeling and to gain this experience.
By keeping the blood line flowing, you will greatly contribute towards healthier, happier society. Do remember, any one may require blood anytime, including ourselves and our dear ones.
You also benefit in other ways by donating blood. It reduces the chances of Ischemic Heart Diseases (beginning of heart problems) as frequent donations reduce the accumulated and unwanted iron load from the body.
Your blood donation will also get you your blood insurance from us.
No! Not really. Do ask any regular blood donor about it. Though, a small percentage of first time donors may (psychologically) feel a little dizzy but only for a few minutes. Our staff at the blood drive will ensure that your first blood donation is a happy experience. We are sure this will make you a regular blood donor. In fact there are many people who have donated more than 100 times in their life time.
This is impossible. Only sterile disposables are used to collect your blood at Prathama. These disposables can be used only one time. This totally eliminates any chance of catching any disease from donating blood.
Eligible donors (any body between 18 to 60 years of age and leading a healthy life) with weight above 50 kilograms can donated up to 450 ml of blood. Your body would replenish this volume in no time.
As you know, blood is a life saving medicine, which works wonders in certain medical treatments, and life threatening situations. It is an emergency medicine. Our society is today threatened by scarcity of blood. The only source of blood right now is your voluntary donation. In absence of voluntary donors, paid and professional blood donors complicate the medical process. These donors have contributed towards rapid spread of killer diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C in the society. As a result many innocent patients contract these diseases that lead to death.
WHO strongly recommends regular voluntary blood donor as the reliable source of safe blood. Your regular donation will go a long way in improving the situation of perennial blood shortage in the country. To avert blood crisis is in your hands.
Anything but preferably something. Eating light snacks and a drink (nonalcoholic) before blood donation makes you more comfortable.
Giving blood is very simple and straight forward process. On arrival at a blood drive, you will be asked to fill a few details on donor form. Your medical history will be taken by medical personnel. The weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature are measured and recorded. We take a small drop of blood and test it to ensure that you are not anemic. After your pass this simple medical screening process, you will be escorted/directed to a blood donation area. The actual blood donation takes about 5-7 minutes and is followed by a little rest and refreshment.
Drink some liquid like tea, cold drink, juice etc. to replenish fluid and eat some snacks. All this will be available for you at the blood donation site.
Your whole blood donation is separated into components like red cells, platelets etc., tests for any possible disease, store each component at optimum temperature separately and gives these to the needy patients after cross matching.
Your blood goes to a modern blood bank- Prathama Blood Centre. Within 6 hrs of blood collection its processing starts at Prathama. It is separated into components viz. Red Cells, Plasma and Platelets and CRYO.
The donor sample undergoes mandatory tests for transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTI) like hepatitis etc. The units which are tested negative are labeled and stored at the appropriate storage conditions.
These blood components are then made available to patients admitted to various hospitals and clinics. The components in bulk stored at hospitals/clinics (storage centers/satellite areas) to make it readily available to patients in emergency. Prathama supplies blood to 5 remote storage centers as of now. This is how each time you donate blood, you save up to 4 lives.
In modern medicine there is no room for whole blood. Many countries have switched over to blood components for more than 30 years. Unfortunately in India, overwhelming usage is that of whole blood even now. By making blood components, patient can be given only needed component and also reduce shortage. On the other hand, in whole blood, platelets die and clotting factors become ineffective and the patient receives unwanted and ineffective components. So it is always better to use components.
Risk behavior of a person exposes him/her to a high risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) including AIDS and causes fatal illnesses which are transmittable through blood. Such people are requested not to donate blood. Risk behavior includes people with following traits.
Automatic and highly sensitive Robotic blood testing set up is used to test each and every unit of blood for HIV Virus (AIDS), Hepatitis B & C virus (Jaundice), Malaria Parasites, Syphilis and also blood groups. Bar Code System, fully integrated computer network, real time information processing makes our lab only of its kind in India. This lab ensures highest level of blood safety to each unit of blood. Thanks to robotic machines the lab technicians also have minimal contact with the blood, which ensures their safety from blood transmitted diseases.
Besides A, B, and Rh antigens. They are clinically not significant in normal conditions. However antibodies against some of these rare antigen may develop in case of multiple transfusions or during pregnancy/child birth. In such situations, blood group required has to be matched for rare antigens.
Blood groups are tested using antigen-antibody reaction. For example, if a blood group A blood/red cells will agglutinate (form a clump), which might be confirmed under microscope.
A set of such reactions against antibody (reagent) to A, B and Rh confirms the blood group.
The “Rh factor” is the principal antigen of the Rh blood group system. It is also called the ‘D’ antigen. People whose red blood cells express the D antigens are Rh positive; Rh negative red cells from Rh-positive person (through transfusion or pregnancy).
We have seen in the table earlier, who can donate or accept blood for whom.
Still, to ensure full safety, the patient’s and donor’s blood is incubated in a special micro-tube to check if donor red cell would be totally compatible to the recipient (patient).
Only compatible blood is used for transfusion to the patients.
These are protein molecules. Various types of antibodies are found in the body. Antibodies are normally present in plasma. These antibodies react against the antigen and are antigen specific.
In ABO blood group system a person would not have the antibody against the missing antigen (reciprocal antibody).
For example, a person with blood group A will not have antibody (anti-A) against antigen A in his blood. He would have anti-B antibody present in his blood.
Hemoglobin is protein molecule, which contains iron. Hemoglobin is present in red blood cells of our blood. It is because of Hb, that our blood looks red. According to WHO, men should have 13-17 gm% and women 12-15gm% of hemoglobin.
Anemia is a condition when hemoglobin falls below the normal level. It can happen because of iron deficiency, Vitamin B12 deficiency, Blood loss, genetic reasons and a few other conditions. Then physician would be able to diagnose and treat anemia.
Thalassemia is a genetic disorder. It is of 2 types – Thalassemia major and Thalassemia minor.
Thalassemia major is a condition where the body can not produce healthy and effective red blood cells. They have variety of symptoms like pallor, failure to grow, thieve skeletal deformities etc. They survive only on blood transfusion once or twice a month. The only cure for Thalassemia major is bone marrow transplantation or stem cell therapy where progenitor cells from a donor are grafted and new healthy cells are produced. But the costs are generally high and poor families can not afford it. India has about 1, 00,000 Thalassemia majors.
In Thalassemia minor does not suffer from any of these symptoms other than mild anemia in some cases as is merely a carrier. Thalassemia minor can lead a normal life with just being careful of not marrying another Thalassemia minor as off springs of such wedlock could be Thalassemia major. A simple test before marriage could save Thalassemia minor from having a Thalassemia major child.
Prathama has launched Thalassemia Screening Program to eradicate this disorder from population. At nominal cost one could get tested.
Hemophilia is a blood disorder where blood clotting is defective. Patients suffering from Hemophilia lack blood clotting factor VIII/IX. As soon as they bleed, they need clotting factors which are prepared from plasma. Any delay may cause excessive bleeding and death. India has about 50,000 to 75,000 of hemophilia patients. A huge majority of them still do not have access to safe blood components/products. Prathama support all such hemophelia patients in and around Ahmedabad. It also arranges for sponsorship to take care all transfusion needs.
Hemolytic disease of the new born (HDN) is a condition in which antibodies from the mother cross the placenta and destroys the red blood cells in the fetus, she is carrying. The destructive process may be mild anemia and jaundice to sever fetal or neonatal distress or even to intrauterine death. HDN occurs when the mother develops an antibody to a blood group antigen that is when the mother develops an antibody to a blood group antigen that is absent from her red blood cells but present on fetal red blood cells. The most common cause is anti-D in an Rh-negative mother carrying an Rh-positive child. Other antibodies sometimes cause the same problem.
Severe HDN is treated by transfusion. Intrauterine transfusion can be performed if necessary. More commonly after delivery, an infant can be treated by “exchange transfusion ’’, which substitutes Rh negative blood of same ABO group as that of baby’s for the infants damaged antibody coated red blood cells. Prathama provides all needed transfusion support in such cases. Its fully equipped lab and highly qualified staff take care all exchange transfusion needs.
When blood is drawn from a donor into blood bag, it contains anticoagulant and nourishment for live blood cells. This keeps blood in a liquid or fluid form and keeps the cell alive. Depending upon the type of anticoagulant used, red blood cells are stored at 40C in the liquid state 35-42 days. Platelets are stored at 22 to 24 degree centigrade for 5 days. Plasma is stored at -350C for one year. Prathama has established such large storage systems.
All blood components are stored in special containers, inside refrigerators, freezers or environmental chambers. All these storage devices have temperature gauges and the temperature is checked daily. This ensures that the blood components are stored at the appropriate temperature.
Blood transfusion is primarily required for the conditions in which either blood or blood component is lost or destroyed to a dangerous level. Normally our body can tolerate blood loss to an extent of 20% or about 1.0 liter. But above that, blood has to be supplemented. So, conditions like major surgery (operation), accidents, child birth, some infections, Cancer, Thalassemia, Hemophilia, Acute Anemia etc., may require blood.
As with any medical procedure, blood transfusions carry some risk. There is remote chance of receiving blood of the wrong type. In addition, several infectious diseases can be transmitted by blood transfusions if quality controls are not in place. Among the virus viruses that may be transmitted by blood are: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS; several Hepatitis viruses; Malaria; and Syphilis. Prathama follows NABH & ISO standards in blood collection, processing and distribution. Hence here the chances are highly negligible.
Steps to ensure maximum transfusion safety, involve both donor and recipient. Donors are screened very carefully, using a detailed questionnaire, for health problems or circumstances that increase risk of transmitting infection. After blood is drawn, it is tested for numerous viruses and other potentially harmful disease agents, and positive or doubtful units are discarded. Donor blood is tested for ABO, Rh and the presence of possibly dangerous blood group antibodies, as well. Prathama is probably the only blood bank that rejects almost 35% of blood donors from donating blood. This is just to ensure great safety levels in blood transfusion.
After the recipient’s blood is tested for ABO, Rh and the presence of blood group antibodies, donor units are selected of the same blood groups and cross matching is then performed to transfuse compatible blood.
Prathama Blood Centre provides blood without the precondition of “replacement” (replacement means where the family or friend has to donate blood at the blood bank to get equivalent number of units for their patient) unless it is awful crisis.
You need to collect patient’s blood sample and treating doctor’s prescription for blood component when you visit Prathama. If the requirement is urgent, you may please get it noted when you call Prathama. If it is planned surgery and you need large volume, it may be issued in staggered manner after consulting your doctor. There is a small testing charge, which is levied to sustain the cost of operations.
If you are regular Prathama donor or drive organizer you are covered by the donor assurance policy, which not only gives you priority over a non-donor, in some situations the testing charges are waived off. Your blood assurance coverage will increase with increased number of donations at Prathama. For details refer to ‘Blood Assurance Policy’ of Prathama.
Yes, we do. All components, which go to municipal hospitals, Thalassemics, Hemophilic go at subsidy varying from 30% to 100%. Whenever a doctor, who writes the prescription or the patient’s relative tell us about financial difficulty of the patient, appropriate subsidy is passed to the patient. Economically weaker families should present proof of identity. Prathama every year issues blood components to poor patients worth `2-3 million.
Prathama Blood Centre is a ‘Not for Profit’ but self sustaining organization. There is testing / service charge levied on blood that is distributed as stipulated by NBTC. The charges are essential for meeting cost of raw material, testing, processing, depreciation, administration expenses. Some equipment costs in crores of rupees and needs periodical replacement. More over Prathama provides subsidy on testing charges for poor and needy patients, Thalassemia and Hemophilia patients. In addition it also provides vaccination and other support to regular blood donors either free or at subsidized costs.