Red blood cells are used in patients needing transfusions, or those suffering from trauma, spontaneous bleeding or chronic anemia. Platelets are used for bleeding problems such as leukemia and other cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Platelets provide the clotting factor in your blood. White Blood Cells fight infections and diseases in your body. Plasma is used in massive transfusions, treatment of bleeding disorders, prevention of viral infectious diseases such as hepatitis or chicken pox, and shock treatment.
Patients usually receive several units of a component of blood.
A free snack helps your body adjust to the slight loss of fluid after you donate. Community Responsibility Blood is a community resource given freely by healthy, generous volunteer donors for sick or injured patients. As long as the blood supply is continually replenished, physicians and their patients can be confident of a reliable supply of blood on hand when needed. No pressure is placed on family or friends to replace blood that the patient receives. And blood is available for everyone without regard as to whether they or their family or friends are blood donors.