Question & Answer: Blood

1. Why do there continue to be blood shortages even after the increased donations immediately following the September 11th attacks?
   • In the United States, blood is needed every two seconds.
   • Blood has a limited shelf-life. Red blood cells, the portion of blood most commonly used for trauma patients, are only good for 42 days, and platelets, commonly used for cancer patients, are only good for five days. It is important for people to regularly donate blood to ensure a continuous supply.
   • Summer and winter holidays are often a challenging time for blood collections. Approximately 15 percent of the Red Cross' collections come from high school and college students who are on recess at these times. The need for blood never takes a vacation.
   • Each year, the Red Cross collects more blood donations than the previous year - 3.6% more from 1999 to 2001. At the same time, though, demand has increased 8.6%.
   
   
2. What happened to the donors who gave the weeks following September 11, 2001?
   • Twenty percent of the first-time donors who gave blood after the terrorist attacks came back to donate a second time, and four percent have donated more than two more times. However, the Red Cross encourages all donors who tried giving blood for the first time during such unprecedented times, and all donors who have donated successfully in the past, to become regular blood donors, giving every two months.
   • Americans underestimate the country's need for blood transfusions. In a recent poll, only nine percent of respondents were aware blood is needed every two seconds.
   • The majority of adults overestimate the number of people who actually donate blood. Only eight percent of those polled are aware less than five percent of all eligible donors give blood.
   • Only about one in four Americans (23 percent of respondents) is aware that U.S. adults are eligible to give blood every two months.
   
   
3. There were reports that blood donations were discarded last fall. How much was discarded and how can I be sure the Red Cross will use my donation?
   • The Red Cross prepared for the worst and hoped for the best after September 11. We grew supplies from 3 to 12-days and utilized virtually all (95%) of the red blood cells donated.
   • Every day, between 1 to 3 percent of blood products nationwide expire before a hospital can use them. It is the blood bank's responsibility to collect more than enough blood for all hospitals to be prepared for natural or manmade disasters or times of increased blood needs.
   
   
4. How is blood part of Homeland Security?
   • Blood is a cornerstone of medicine and critical to public health.
   • The blood supply needs of hospital patients depends on the generosity of its community and their willingness to regularly donate blood. Through the power of the Red Cross's national system, whenever blood is needed it can quickly be shipped from one area of the country to another.
   • If an area of the country is affected by a natural or man-made disaster, the local blood center could be compromised and unable to collect blood. It would be up to other banks to support the needs there. The Red Cross's national system allows blood to be moved efficiently where it needs to be.
   
   
5. What is the status of the national frozen blood reserve?
   • Since the 1970s, the American Red Cross has been freezing rare blood types, and some autologous units. Just prior to September 11, 2001, the Red Cross has begun a program to freeze excess Group O red blood cells, and the events of 9-11 became a catalyst to begin freezing as many units as feasible of group O blood -- the universal blood type.
   • Since September 11, the Red Cross has frozen nearly 10,000 units of Group O red blood cells. Some of those units already have been used to help curb the summer shortage. Although the red cells can be good for 10 years if kept frozen with the current technology, the units must then be used within 24 hours of thawing. This presents a challenge in using frozen/thawed red blood cells on a widespread basis.
   • Currently we are working with a manufacturer to run trials on equipment that would allow blood to be used for up to 14 days upon thawing. We hope to have approval for this technology within the next nine to 12 months.
   
   
6. Blood centers gave different messages about the need for blood immediately following the terrorist attacks. What has been done to ensure better communication with the public in the future?
   • All blood centers share in the same mission to help save and enhance lives through collecting, processing and distributing blood donations. The Red Cross is committed to working closely together with our counterparts on communicating as one voice to the American public.
   • The American Red Cross is part of a unique task force created by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) with a common mission of working together, preparing and responding to national emergencies. For more information about the Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism, visit http://www.redcross.org/press/biomed/bm_pr/020130banking.html.
   • Additionally, the Red Cross worked closely with members of the blood banking and healthcare communities, including the AABB, America's Blood Centers, the American Hospital Association, and the American Association of Public Health, to issue a joint appeal for blood donors to enhance blood supplies this summer and throughout the year. Details of this unique collaboration can be found at http://www.redcross.org/press/biomed/bm_pr/020625need.html.

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