Needing Blood

Many of us will require a blood transfusion at some point in our lives. To meet patients' needs for blood and blood components, the Community Blood Center requires approximately 580 donors every weekday. In 2005, the patients in our community were helped by over 78,000 volunteer donors who donated over 134,000 units of blood

Major Reasons Patients Need Blood

  • Cancer
  • Heart and blood vessel disease
  • Disease of the gastrointestinal tract
  • Emergencies such as car accidents and burns

Examples

Automobile Accident
50 units of blood

Heart Surgery
6 units of blood
6 units of platelets

Organ Transplant
40 units of blood
30 units of platelets
20 bags of cryoprecipitate
25 units of fresh frozen plasma

Bone Marrow Transplant
120 units of platelets
20 units of blood

Burn
20 units of platelets

More About Blood