What's It Like To Give Blood and Where Will It Go?

What will happen when I give blood?

Each time you give blood, we will gather a lot of information about you. We will ask many confidential questions about who you are, your health history, and your lifestyle. The purpose of these questions is to determine if giving blood will risk your health or the health of the patient who may receive your blood. Our goal is to collect and supply the safest blood possible; total honesty in your answers is extremely important. If you do not think your blood is suitable to give to someone else, then you should not give blood.

Will it hurt when you insert the needle?

Only for a moment. Pinch the fleshy, soft underside of your arm. That pinch is similar to what you will feel when we put the needle in your arm. That brief sensation is caused by your nerve endings coming into contact with a solution in the needle. This solution helps to preserve the blood we will collect from you. 

Is it safe to give blood?

Yes. Sterile procedures and disposable equipment are used. Each donor's blood is collected through a new, sterile needle which is then disposed of in a special container. You cannot contract any disease or virus from donating blood.

How long will it take?

The time varies with each person. The whole process takes about one hour; the actual donation takes 6 to 8 minutes. Approximately one pint of blood will be collected.

What does the Red Cross do with my blood?

The blood will be delivered by volunteers to a blood component laboratory at the Red Cross. From your single whole blood donation we are usually able to produce three bags of components which could help three different patients. We spin your bag of whole blood in a centrifuge to separate the components within the bag. Leaving the red cells in the original bag, we move the plasma and platelets through sterile tubing to a second bag. As the second bag is spun, the platelets are forced to the bottom, and the plasma which rises to the top can be moved to a third bag.

Will you test my blood?

Yes. At the same time your blood is being separated into components, samples of your blood are being transported to a Red Cross testing laboratory in St. Paul, Minnesota or Detroit, Michigan. At this large, state-of-the-art laboratory, we will test over 60,000 samples in the next year. Your blood, and blood from other donors in the Midwest, will undergo nine different testing procedures.

What kinds of tests will be done on my blood?

One of the benefits of donating is the fact that your blood is tested each time you give. This can help you monitor your health.

Your blood sample will be tested for hepatitis B and C, syphilis, HIV that is associated with AIDS, and HTLV, another virus that is rarely found, but can be deadly is transmitted through a blood transfusion. If there are abnormal test results, your blood will not be suitable for transfusion and will be destroyed. Having an abnormal test result does not necessarily mean that you are sick. The Red Cross, at no expense to you, will perform even more sophisticated tests to confirm the outcome of the initial test results. Any abnormal test result on your blood will be reported to you in the form of a written notice.

Other tests are performed to determine your blood type, whether any atypical red cell antibodies are present and whether you have any abnormal liver activity that may give you advance notice of potential health problems. Again, you will be notified of any abnormal test result.

Will my blood go to patients in my hometown?

That is possible, but not a certainty. All blood collected by the Red Cross is distributed to hospitals that have contracted with us to supply their patients with blood. In many cases, your blood will be given to sick people in local hospitals. Some areas of the country are not able to collect enough blood for their patients, so your blood may be needed there. In either situation, your blood donation is helping people who cannot help themselves.

Who needs blood and how does my blood help?

Your blood donation is a gift to seriously ill patients; a gift with no obligation to them or their families to give blood in return. It is estimated that nearly everyone who reaches 72 years of age will need blood at sometime in their life. Every two seconds someone in this country needs blood.

For example: Two patients needed liver transplants. When a donated liver becomes available, doctors were able to split it and give each patient a section. The 41-year-old man who received the larger part of the liver needed 8 units of red cells, 23 units of plasma, and 29 units of platelets. The other liver recipient, a 5-year-old girl, needed 9 units of red cells, 17 units of platelets, and 20 units of plasma. Many donors and many blood donations were needed to help these patients survive.