 |
Who
needs blood? |
More
than 75% of all Americans reaching age 72 will need
blood in their lifetimes. 97% will have a loved one
or friend who will need lifesaving blood. The most common
uses for blood are as follows:
|
Most Common Uses For Blood
|
|
Coronary
artery bypass surgery
|
1-5 pints
|
|
Other
open heart surgery
|
Up
to 40 pints
|
|
Bleeding
ulcer
|
3-20
pints
|
|
Fractured
hip / joint replacement
|
2-20
pints
|
|
Brain
surgery
|
4-20
pints
|
|
Prostate
cancer
|
4-6
pints
|
|
Aneurysm
|
6-10
pints
|
|
Auto
accident - trauma
|
Up
to 50 or more pints
|
|
Organ
transplant
|
Up
to 100 or more pints
|
|
Bone
marrow transplant
|
1-2
units of red cells
daily for 8-10 wks
|
|
6-8
units of platelets
daily for 4-6 wks
|
How
can I find out my blood type?
You
will receive a donor identification card in the mail
about a month after your donation. Your blood type is
listed on the front of the card. Present this card at
any of our locations or mobile blood drives when you
donate for easier registration.
I
have a really rare ABO/Rh blood type, that must mean
you need my blood more often than those with the common
types, right?
Actually,
the opposite is true. Those with common blood types
are needed because it is those blood types that represent
the most common patient population. However, there is
always a great need for Type O donors and donors that
are Rh Negative. A breakdown of the blood types by population
is as follows:
|
Blood Group
|
Rh
Factor
|
Approx.
Pop.%
|
|
O
|
Positive
|
38%
|
|
A
|
Positive
|
34%
|
|
B
|
Positive
|
9%
|
|
AB
|
Positive
|
3%
|
|
O
|
Negative
|
7%
|
|
A
|
Negative
|
6%
|
|
B
|
Negative
|
2%
|
|
AB
|
Negative
|
1%
|
|
