Remember together, we can save a life. Minimum blood supply is betwwen 51,192 - 76,788 units. Critical blood supply is less than 9,760 units. Critical blood supply is less than 2,335 units. Minimum level represents a two-day supply for the system.
Critical level represents a one-day supply for the system.
The American Red Cross annually furnishes nearly half of the nation s blood, supplying 6.3 million pints of blood from 4.5 million donors. The crucial element needed to maintain this critical supply is ongoing voluntary blood donations. Only five percent of eligible Americans 8 million donate blood, making it difficult to provide a traditional safety margin of a three-day blood supply. Recent studies indicated that a blood sample from a donor s finger is a more accurate and less variable indicator of the hematocrit level than one taken from the ear. This increased level of accuracy means that repeat and new donors are being temporarily deferred because their red cell count is due to low iron, donors are encouraged to replenish their supply of iron by eating more iron-rich foods or taking iron supplements.