Blood Donation

 

 

Introduction

Blood donation is that process where an individual of appropriate legal age for donation has blood drawn from them, which are then used later to transfuse other individuals who need it or can be processed into biopharmaceuticals. Most of this is either donation of whole blood or specific blood components. The collection process is done in the blood banks, and currently, the contributions are mostly from unpaid volunteers who do that for a community supply.

History of blood donation

The history of blood donation began centuries ago when bloodletting was practiced in Egypt. This was later faced out since it was not effective. It was until 1616 when Dr. William Harvey discovered the human circulatory system that made a huge step. Later in 1665 Dr. Richard Lower made and recorded transfusions from dog to dog which were successful, and it was then followed by transfusion of animal blood to human beings which resulted in a loss of life

 In the year 1818, there was a successful transfusion of blood to a mother who got post-partum hemorrhage after delivery (Charbonneau & Smith, 2015). Later in 1901, the blood groups A, B, and O where discovered, this leads to an understanding of the importance of matching blood groups and the rejection of blood by the immune response. In 1914, Dr. Hustin found a way of preventing blood coagulation through the mixing of blood with sodium citrate and storage by refrigeration.

 The plastic backs for storing blood were invented in 1948; this made improvements on blood banking which used vacuum bottles (Charbonneau & Smith, 2015). Blood donation has significantly improved since then with a various test being taken before and after the donations to screen for potential abnormalities. Following the discovery of HIV/AIDS, it was then essential to test for the virus in every blood donation. Currently, there is the existence of community blood donation centers and other blood bank centers where individuals can visit and donate blood.

Benefits of blood donation to the society

 Blood donation saves lives of individuals who are at higher risk of dying if in case they are not transfused, for examples those people with sickle cell disease and burns (Marrow et al., 2015). With the donation from people, there will be blood available for them, and this will bring joy to them and their families. It also improves the flow of blood since it reduces the viscosity of blood which might have resulted in damage of the blood vessels or causing arterial blockage.

People who donate blood also enjoys the benefits of free health checkups, and this is because a person has to undergo a physical exam and to weigh before donating and after that, there are series of test which is conducted in the laboratory before the blood is transfused to clients who need them. In case of any abnormality then the person is notified and informed, which then follows proper management.

It helps in the regulation of iron in the body. Iron in the human body have usage limits, and thus the excess iron is stored especially in the liver and other body parts, excess iron might cause damage in the blood vessels(Marrow et al., 2015). For those who donate blood, some portion of the iron will be in the donated blood which will then reduce excess iron in the body.

Products manufactured from blood and how patients use them

There are different products manufactured from the blood. Red cells are used to restore patient carrying capacity of oxygen in those with anemia and significant blood loss where other alternatives have not been effective (Koljonen et al., 2016). Another product is platelets which are used in patients with low platelet count and those with platelet dysfunction. Plasma is transfused to patients with deficiencies in clotting factors and who are in active bleeding.

Cryoprecipitate which is made from thawing fresh frozen plasma at four degrees is used as a source of fibrinogen. Granulocytes are indicated for clients with severe soft tissue infections. Crystalloid solutions are used as plasma expanders in patients with acute blood or plasma loss.

Sickle cell disease

This condition is usually present at birth, and it results from an abnormality in the hemoglobin which causes the red blood cells to be rigid with sickle-shaped, this obstructs blood flow and leading to pain and other complications such as stroke (Ware et al., 2017). The condition is usually diagnosed through a blood test which can be done in newborns or adults. The blood sample is tested for hemoglobin S, where if it tests positive then the person has the disease.

The process of blood donation

I was first registered and my body weight, and then I was asked to show my ID. I was given a card which contained all the information about blood donation. I gave out my address including my email. I was asked about my health information, and my vital signs were taken including hemoglobin level. Unfortunately, I was unable to deliver because my hemoglobin levels were 11.8g/dl which was below the requirement. Blood donation is good as it has numerous health benefits, I wish I could donate.

Conclusion

Blood donation began a long time ago, and it has since then developed with numerous discoveries and invention. It has a lot of benefits both to the donor, recipient and the society in general. There are also different products of blood given to patients depending on their need and their condition which can be for example blood disorders or even blood cancers which then require donations. Let’s donate if we can.

References

Charbonneau, J., & Smith, A. (Eds.). (2015). Giving blood: the institutional making of altruism. Routledge.

Koljonen, V., Tuimala, J., Haglund, C., Tukiainen, E., Vuola, J., Juvonen, E., ... & Krusius, T. (2016). The use of blood products in adult patients with burns. Scandinavian Journal of Surgery, 105(3), 178-185.

Marrow, B., Clarkson, J., Chapman, C. E., & Masson, S. (2015). Facilitation of blood donation amongst haemochromatosis patients. Transfusion Medicine, 25(4), 239-242.

Vassallo, R., Goldman, M., Germain, M., & Lozano, M. (2015). Preoperative autologous blood donation: waning indications in an era of improved blood safety. Transfusion medicine reviews, 29(4), 268-275.

Ware, R. E., de Montalembert, M., Tshilolo, L., & Abboud, M. R. (2017). Sickle cell disease. The Lancet, 390(10091), 311-323.