To make sure blood is available for all patients who need it, healthy Americans should give blood as often as possible (every eight weeks) through their community blood center. If you are unable to donate blood yourself, encourage healthy family members and friends to do so to make sure the gift of life is there when it is needed.
Should you or a loved one require a blood transfusion, talk with your doctor about your options, possible risks and whether you might be able to donate your own blood for your operation.
- 4.5 million: the number of American lives saved each year by blood transfusions.
- Anyone in good health, at least 17 years old, and at least 110 pounds may donate blood every 56 days, or every two months.
- 38,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the United States.
- Someone needs blood every two seconds.
- About 1 in 5 people entering a hospital needs blood.
- Three: the number of lives saved by one pint of donated blood.
- Ten pints: amount of blood in the body of an average adult.
- One unit of blood is roughly the equivalent of one pint.
- Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight.
- A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his body.
- 3.4 pints: the average red blood cell transfusion.
- Blood fights infection and helps heal wounds.
- Four main blood types: A, B, AB and O. AB is the universal recipient,
O negative is the universal donor.
- Blood centers often run short of types O and B blood.
- Shortages of all blood types happen during the summer and winter holidays.
All 56 Facts can be found here by following this link.
http://www.americasblood.org/index.cfmfuseaction=display.showPage&pageID=12
