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I didn't realize you couldn't give blood if you take aspirin. Guess I haven't tried to give since I started taking low dose aspirin for my heart. Also on high blood pressure medication.
It's interesting to note the industry behind blood donations, including the Red Cross. We donate for free, and they profit immensely. That's why over the years there have been battles over controlling blood collection.
Whole blood is used as is, after testing of course, but is also fractionated into various parts, like packed RBC, albumin, platelets, clotting factors and many more. That's where the money is.
The marketing effort has been superb, convincing us to donate for free as a supposed altruistic act, when in truth, we're providing organizations with a valuable starting material. The fact that these orgs are non-profits does not mean they're not money driven. It mostly means they operate under a different part of the tax code.
Which is why I do not donate.
The profits are insane and they *trick* people into donating by congratulating them on their *good deed*. There's a reason that they target high schools. Get the kids trained early to donate for free.
If it's a good deed to donate they should give the products to people who need it FOR FREE also.
Why? Occasionally there is not enough time to type and cross match before initiating a transfusion. If you are O Negative as I am, you'd be screwed.
They aren't going to take a patient's word for his blood type, it'll be typed (ABO and Rh) and at least an immediate spin crossmatch done with the donor blood before a patient gets that blood. The consequences of an ABO incompatibility are too dangerous to just give a patient any blood that might be available.
The only exception to this might be if the patient is losing blood so fast they need to replace it like NOW. In that case the patient would be transfused with O negative blood.
I didn't realize you couldn't give blood if you take aspirin. Guess I haven't tried to give since I started taking low dose aspirin for my heart. Also on high blood pressure medication.
Well, here's the skinny on taking medications and blood donations, from the American Red Cross.
The only exception to this might be if the patient is losing blood so fast they need to replace it like NOW. In that case the patient would be transfused with O negative blood.
seen people given type incompatible during emergency, they lose the blood so fast that it isn't in the system long enough to cause a problem, and the body is in such shock that it doesn't register it being incompatible to make a response to it.
seen males take Rh positive too when they are Rh neg because the doctors will deal with the anti-D at a later date/future transfusions. Plus they can get rhogam to counter immune response after they aren't dead
I'm going to hit the 10 gallon mark later at my local blood bank and I probably gave for 10 years prior to that.
First, taking an 81mg aspirin does not disqualify you from giving blood. Neither does taking high blood pressure medication. I take both and my blood bank has no problem with that.
There's also a health benefit, my hemocrit levels run high, giving blood helps bring them down. Also, at least 1 doctor I talked to believes that giving blood reduces a man's iron levels which may play a part in heart disease. Pre-menopausal women reduce iron levels when they menstruate, which he theorizes is why they have a lower level of heart disease prior to menopause. By giving blood, it has the same effect.
And it just plain feels good. I'm not happy that people profit from it but the idea that it helps people who are sick makes me happy.
They profit from it but they need to make money to pay for the staff, the equipment, the testing & processing, the storage, the transportation, etc of the blood products.
I was fortunate to get a tour of a blood processing center. Floors of labs and banks of refrigerators, lots of staff to deal with all the behind the scenes work that goes into providing blood for those who need it. That costs money.
Donor blood saved my wife's life. We got to spend 12 extra years together thanks to the kindness of blood donors and the work of the blood processors plus the nurses & physicians who helped save her life.
seen people given type incompatible during emergency, they lose the blood so fast that it isn't in the system long enough to cause a problem, and the body is in such shock that it doesn't register it being incompatible to make a response to it.
seen males take Rh positive too when they are Rh neg because the doctors will deal with the anti-D at a later date/future transfusions. Plus they can get rhogam to counter immune response after they aren't dead
Guess we can't discount anything in such dire emergencies! Hadn't thought of the possibility of blood being lost so fast the body doesn't have time to even think of making antibodies- that scenario would be more or less like bringing the blood and pouring it directly on the floor( with a quick pass through the person's veins and out the wounds).
Guess Rh negative males getting Rh positive blood, then dealing with the antibodies later ( or getting RhoGam within 48 hrs to prevent anti-D formation would also be a viable option in such a pinch. I wonder how much RhoGam it would take to prevent antibody formation in an Rh negative male who got several units of Rh positive blood?
Actually, companies that make products like RhoGam, and other products for testing to detect antigens/ antibodies in blood are always looking for Rh negative males who have anti-D antibodies in their blood from prior exposure to this antigen. They will pay handsomely for blood from these guys, as it's not all that common.
They profit from it but they need to make money to pay for the staff, the equipment, the testing & processing, the storage, the transportation, etc of the blood products.
I was fortunate to get a tour of a blood processing center. Floors of labs and banks of refrigerators, lots of staff to deal with all the behind the scenes work that goes into providing blood for those who need it. That costs money.
Donor blood saved my wife's life. We got to spend 12 extra years together thanks to the kindness of blood donors and the work of the blood processors plus the nurses & physicians who helped save her life.
The could operate as a nonprofit and collect donations to run the lab and pay for staff. Or have people volunteer.
I always thought the nurses who took the blood were volunteers. But maybe they are paid , too.
I don't consider it a charity if there are massive profits being made.
The could operate as a nonprofit and collect donations to run the lab and pay for staff. Or have people volunteer.
I always thought the nurses who took the blood were volunteers. But maybe they are paid , too.
I don't consider it a charity if there are massive profits being made.
Most of the blood centers are non profit organizations. That includes all of the independent community blood banks that are members of the America's Blood Centers group and the Red Cross.
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