A LIFE-SAVING JOURNEY The Road Our Blood Travels From Donation to Transfusion
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very year, over 5,000 blood products from the American Red Cross, including whole blood, plasma, platelet, and Power Red donations, are used to help Boone Hospital Center patients. Boone Hospital has hosted blood drives for the American Red Cross for 16 years. These blood drives are one way we support Red Cross, which delivers blood products to hospitals all over the country. The American Red Cross is broken into regions all over the United States. “Boone County and Boone Hospital are part of the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region. This is part of a 64-hospital network that we provide blood to. In order to provide blood year-round to our 64-hospital network, we have to collect over 214,000 blood donations yearly,” says Joe Zydlo, external communications manager for American Red Cross. Blood can be donated at Red Cross blood drives or at a Red Cross donation center. There are also several types of donations you can make to help patients.
Whole Blood • Whole blood donation is what you typically give at a blood drive. The benefit of whole blood is its versatility — it can be transfused into a patient or separated at the processing center into red cells, plasma, and platelets. • Whole blood transfusions are usually given to trauma and surgery patients.
Power Red Donation • Power Red donations can also be done at a blood drive. As you donate, your red blood cells are separated from the other blood components, and your plasma and platelets are put back into your body. This donation takes a little longer than whole blood.
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BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER
Fall 2020
William Moore, Plant Operations Coordinator donates blood at a blood drive held at Boone Hospital.
• Power Red donations are usually given to trauma patients, newborns and birthing mothers, people with sickle cell anemia, and patients suffering from blood loss.
Platelet Donation
also separates your blood, but keeps the plasma and returns your red blood cells and platelets. • Plasma transfusions are usually used to stop bleeding in emergency and trauma patients.
• Platelet donations must be done at a Red Cross donation center using a special apheresis machine. Platelets are important, tiny cells in our blood that help us stop bleeding by forming clots. As blood is drawn from your arm, the apheresis machine keeps the platelets and returns your red blood cells and plasma.
After your donation, your blood goes on a life-saving journey.
• Platelet donations are usually given to surgery patients, cancer patients, organ transplant patients, and others with life threatening injuries.
• After your donation is completed, your donated blood and test tubes are labeled and kept on ice. “Blood is a perishable product, so it is very important to do this so that the products don’t spoil,” says Joe.
Plasma Donation • Plasma donations must be given at a donation center. A special machine
STEP ONE: DONATION • When you donate at a blood drive or Red Cross donation center, they will collect one pint, plus several test tubes of your blood.
• Your blood is driven to St. Louis for testing.
