Blood Donation

Information

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is the State body with responsibility for the collection, processing, testing and distribution of blood and blood products.

Why give blood?

• Over 3,000 donations are needed every week
• 1 in 4 of us will need a transfusion at some point in our lives
• One donation can help the recovery of up to three patients in hospital.

To become a blood donor you must be in good health, between 18 and 65 years of age and weigh at least 50kgs (7st 12lbs). You can donate every 90 days.

Donating blood

• When you volunteer to give blood you will be asked to register your details with the IBTS and to fill in a health and lifestyle questionaire. All the information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence.
• A drop of your blood will be analysed for haemoglobin (iron level) content.
• After the medical screening process, you will be shown to a donation bed. A pressure cuff will be put around your upper arm and the area will be cleaned with an anti-septic.
• A doctor or nurse will then insert a needle that is attached to a blood bag. The bag is kept out of sight below the level of the bed. You will be asked to open and close your hand to ensure smooth blood flow.
• The donation itself takes between 8 -15 minutes. It holds 470 mls of blood (just under a pint).There is no risk of contracting any disease by donating blood. A new sterile blood pack is used for every donor. It is never reused.
• You will rest after the donation and will be served refreshments. You should allow yourself about an hour in total and should avoid heavy lifting, pushing or picking up heavy objects for at least four or five hours.

Keeping Blood Safe

The IBTS is committed to supplying Irish hospitals with blood that is as safe as it can be. This means that they test every donation received for a number of diseases including Hepatitis B, HIV and Hepatitis C.

Donating platelets

Platelets are small blood cells that are present in the blood of all healthy people and are essential to enable blood to clot properly. Patients who do not have enough platelets in their blood are prone to spontaneous bleeding and are also likely to bleed too much during surgery.

Platelets have a shelf-life of just 5-7 days after donation, so it is important to maintain a constant supply.

Over 20,000 platelet transfusions are needed every year in Ireland, and this number is continuing to rise. Most of these platelets go to patients with serious medical conditions such as cancer or leukaemia, especially those receiving chemotherapy or after a bone marrow transplant.

Platelets may also be needed by:

• Patients undergoing major surgery
• Burns patients
• Accident victims who have had extensive injury
• New born babies who are born with low platelet counts.

Bone Marrow Registry

The Irish Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry (IUBMR) is a register of people who are willing to donate their bone marrow if they are found to match a patient needing a bone marrow transplant. The IUBMR is part of a worldwide network of unrelated donor registries. The decision to become an unrelated bone marrow donor requires careful consideration.

Read more about the Irish Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry.