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Who
can donate?
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Healthy
individuals who are at least 17 years of age
and weigh at least 110 pounds are encouraged
to donate blood regularly.
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Who
should NOT donate?
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Donor
Deferral Criteria - click for information |
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Pregnant Women.
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Miscarriage
within six weeks
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Mononucleosis
in the last six months
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Weight
less than 110 pounds
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Spent
more than three months in the United Kingdom
between 1980 and 1996
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Have a
blood relative diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob
Disease
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Received
heart, liver, lung, pancreas, bone marrow or
dura mater (brain tissue) transplant or
graft
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If
you have EVER been in any of
the following categories, you must NEVER donate
blood: |
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Men who
have had sex with another man, even only one time |
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Persons
who have injected drugs into their veins, even
only one time |
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Persons
with confirmed clinical signs, symptoms or laboratory
evidence of HIV infection. |
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Persons
with hemophilia or related clotting disorders who
have received clotting factor concentrates |
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Men and
women who have been paid with money or drugs for
sex, even only one time |
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History
of hepatitis over 10 years of age, or a known carrier
of a hepatitis virus. |
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If
you have been in any of the following categories
in the last 12 months, you MUST NOT donate
for 12 months since the event: |
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Received
someone else's blood |
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Treatment
for syphilis or any sexually-transmitted disease |
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Victim
of rape |
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Sexual
partners of anyone who received money or drugs
for sex |
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Men
and women who have paid for sex with money or drugs |
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Female
partners of a man who had sex with another man |
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Sexual
partners of persons who have used intravenous drugs |
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Spent
more than 3 days at one time in jail or prison |
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Received
a kidney or corneal transplant, or skin or bone graft |
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Will
tattoos or body piercing make me ineligible
to donate?
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If
a tattoo was obtained in a state where tatoo
parlors are licensed, you may be eligible to
donate. Please consult with OBI staff to see
if the establishment is on the approved parlor
list. For tatoos obtained at other facilities,
a one-year deferral from the date of the tattoo
is required.
If
body piercing (i.e., ear, nose, etc.) is performed
at an OBI-approved establishment, you should
be able to donate. Please consult with OBI
staff prior to donating blood.
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Can
I donate if I am taking medication?
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It
is recommended that you finish any antibiotic
you are taking before donating blood. As a general
rule, taking medication won't keep you from donating,
but the reason for the medication might. Please
consult with OBI staff prior to donating to clarify
any medication issues. |
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Besides
AIDS and other blood-related disorders are
there any other diseases that will make me
ineligible to donate?
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You
will be deferred permanently from donating if
you have contracted Hepatitis B after age 11.
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Can
I donate if I have a low iron level?
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Having
a low iron level does not necessarily make you
ineligible to donate blood. Please consult with
OBI staff to see if you are eligible to donate.
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Is
it safe to donate?
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Yes.
All donation needles, tubing, and bags are sterile
and used only once. There is no risk of getting
an infectious disease like AIDS from donating.
A small number of donors may experience slight
bruising at the needle site. Mild reactions can
occur during donation and are usually vasovagal.
Common symptoms include lightheadedness, nausea,
and anxiety. Severe reactions rarely occur. After
donation, donors are asked to stay at the donor
site for a short time where they are given a
snack, something to drink, and are allowed to
sit and relax. Donors should not do any heavy
lifting or excessive physical exertion for several
hours after donation.
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What
happens during the donation?
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Reading
materials about the importance of a safe blood
supply and high risk behaviors that would prevent
someone from donating will be distributed. Donating
also involves filling out a questionnaire. The
questions ask about a donor's general health
and well being. Some of the questions will be
asked in person. The questions are designed to
help protect both the donor and recipient from
harm. Some donors may have medical conditions
that may temporarily or permanently exclude them
from donating. Making sure no harm comes to the
donor and recipient are primary concerns of OBI.
A doctor who specializes in Transfusion Medicine
may be consulted by telephone or examine the
donor to determine if it is safe for the donor
to donate. Questions about medication use will
also be asked and reviewed. An abbreviated physical
exam will be done, which will consist of taking
the donor's blood pressure, pulse, temperature,
and checking their hemoglobin concentration.
A hemoglobin level of >12.5 and/or
a hematocrit of >38% is needed for
regular blood donation. Donors should be well
hydrated and have eaten a meal within 4 hours
of donating.
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| How
long does it take to donate? |
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| Donating
a traditional unit of whole blood, including registration,
screening, actual donation, and canteen recovery
time is about 45-50 minutes. The actual donation
normally takes about 8-10 minutes. Automated procedures
require additional time which varies depending
on the individual and the component being donated. |
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| How
much blood will be taken when I donate? |
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| The
average whole blood donation collects about one
pint of the 10-12 pints of blood of the average
person. |
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| How
can I expect to feel after I donate? |
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Donating
should not make you feel bad if you will follow
a few simple rules. It is recommended that you
eat a good meal and increase you fluid intake
before donating. After donating, we recommend
the following:
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Eat
well and increase your fluid intake for 24-48 hours |
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Do
not smoke for 30 minutes and avoid smoking areas |
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Avoid
strenous physical activity and heavy lifting for
about 2 hours |
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Remove
the band-aid/wrap after two hours |
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Where
do I go to donate?
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OBI
has fixed
donor sites across the state where you can
donate. Mobile donation operations make donating
easy by going to where the donors are located. Public
blood drives at schools, churches, the mall,
and places of employment make it convenient.
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| Where
does donated blood go? |
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After
you donate, your blood is carefully labeled and
a test tube sample is drawn from the bag. The
blood bag is then transported to the Oklahoma
Blood Institute laboratories in Oklahoma City,
where the component lab separates the blood into
component parts (red cells, plasma and platelets).
The
small test tube is also sent to the laboratory,
where the following 11 tests are routinely
performed on each unit of blood:
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ABO
typing-provides verification of blood type |
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Rh
factor-indicates if blood type is positive
or negative |
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Hepatitis
B surface antigen-indicates a present infection
or carrier state of the hepatitis B
virus |
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Antibody
to hepatitis B core-additional test that
detects a present or past infection
with the hepatitis B virus
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Antibody
to hepatitis C virus-indicates antibody to
a virus that causes hepatitis C |
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Antibody
to HIV-1-indicates antibody to a virus that
causes AIDS |
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Antibody
to HTLV-1-indicates antibody to a virus that
causes adult T-cell leukemia |
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Syphilis-screens
for this venereal disease |
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Cholesterol-as
a donor benefit, written cholesterol test
results are mailed to the donor |
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Once
testing is completed and the blood is determined
to be transfusible, the components are stored
appropriately. Red cells are refrigerated and
have a shelf life of 42 days; plasma is
frozen and can be stored for one year; platelets
must be rotated at room temperature and have
a shelf life of five days. The stored blood is
used to help supply patients in more than 94
hospitals within Oklahoma and Texas.
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| How
often can I donate? |
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| Healthy
individuals can donate whole blood every 56 days,
plasma every 28 days and platelets every 7days. |
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| Is
it true that I can donate blood for myself? |
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| Yes
you can donate blood for yourself. That type of
donation is referred to as an autologous
donation. For more information call 405-297-5597
or 405-297-5566. |
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| Can
I donate for a specific individual? |
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| Yes
you can donate for a specific individual. That
type of donation is referred to as a directed
donation. |
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| What
is Apheresis donation? |
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| Apheresis
(a-fe-REE-sis) is a special automated type of blood
donation that involves collecting whole blood from
a donor, but instead of separating components in
the lab, the components are automatically separated
online while you donate. Since the majority of
patients are treated with only one particular blood
component, an apheresis donation is more efficient
and beneficial to the donor. Apheresis allows a
single donor to provide more of the single component
needed by a patient. By reducing the number of
donors needed to meet a patient's need, the chances
of a patient reaction or rejection are decreased. |
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| How
is Apheresis donation different from donating
whole blood? |
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| The
apheresis process is much like donating whole blood,
except that the components are separated during
the donation procedure. Donors go through the same
process as with a whole blood donation, except
the procedure takes a little longer. Each donation
is supervised by trained personnel, and is performed
using sterile, disposable equipment. Apheresis
utilizes a computerized cell separator which safely
and automatically removes only the component needed.
The remainder of components are returned to the
donor. |
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| Which
blood components can be donated by apheresis? |
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| The
following blood components can be donated through
apheresis procedures: |
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Apheresis
Platelets (PLAP) are very important
because they cause clotting when cuts or
other open wounds occur. Platelets and
can only be stored for up to five days,
and are needed by transplant patients and
those receiving treatment for Leukemia
and or cancer. Healthy donors can give
platelets every seven days. |
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Apheresis
Fresh Frozen Plasma (AFFP) is
essential in the recovery of burn patients,
organ transplant recipients and patients
with clotting disorders. About 55 percent
of blood is composed of plasma, which acts
as a carrier for blood cells and nutrients.
Plasma donors can donate every 28 days.
Currently, this procedure is available
only in Oklahoma City, Enid and Lawton. |
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Red
Blood Cell and Plasma (RBCP) apheresis
donation allows donors to give full transfusion
doses of red cells and plasma through the
same apheresis process used to donate one
component. After the red cells and plasma
are removed, the remaining fluids are returned
to the donor. Donors lose a smaller amount
of fluids through the RBCP process than
through a regular whole blood donation.
Red cells are used to help patients undergoing
surgery or trauma, and patients with chronic
blood disorders like anemia or sickle cell.
Plasma may be administered to patients
with clotting problems or those who have
lost plasma due to burns or hemorrhage.
Individuals can do an RBCP procedure every
56 days. Currently, this procedure is available
only in Oklahoma City, Enid and Lawton. |
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Double
Red Blood Cells (2RBC) was recently
introduced as a new method of apheresis
donation in which donors give two full
transfusion doses of red cells. This involves
the same process as RBCP, except a donor
must wait 112 days before donating again.
Since red cells are used in emergency situations
to replenish lost blood, red cell donors
are essential to helping OBI maintain a
sufficient blood supply throughout the
year. |
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| What
type of patient does my apheresis donation
help? |
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Red
Cells - carry the hemoglobin and oxygen
in our body. Anemic patients and patients having
transplants or heart surgery need red cells,
usually in multiple units. |
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Plasma -
the liquid portion of the blood is most needed
by burn or trauma patients, patients with hematologic
disorders like TTP, organ transplant recipients
and newborns. |
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Platelets -
aid in the clotting process to benefit patients
who develop bleeding disorders from leukemia, cancer
therapy or open heart surgery. |
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| How
do I benefit from apheresis donation? |
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You
may find the experience more comfortable because
the needle used is smaller than with whole blood
donation |
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You
have less fluid loss than with a whole blood donation |
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You
can help more patients by donating a specific blood
component |
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| How
do patients benefit from apheresis donation? |
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Automation
and computer technology enhance the quality and
safety of the apheresis product |
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Apheresis
donors reduce the number of people to which a patient
is exposed, thus reducing the risk of transfusion
related reaction to the patient. |
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Patients
typically respond better to platelets derived from
apheresis |
