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| Thread ID: 66009 | 2006-02-08 00:17:00 | Are you a blood donor? | Tony (4941) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 428380 | 2006-02-08 20:06:00 | Anyway there's nothing to be worried about donating blood .They do steralise the blood before transfering it to another body! Infectious Risks of Transfusion Currently, the risk of transmission of infectious diseases through transfusion is minimal, because effective preventive strategies, including new laboratory tests, have been implemented. Nevertheless, many infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, can be transmitted through blood transfusion. Well-recognized viruses include hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV), hepatitis G virus/GB-C virus (HGV/GBV-C), human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1/2), human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), TT virus (TTV), human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6), SEN virus (SEN-V), and human parvovirus (HPV-B19). Bacteria such as Treponema pallidum (the agent of syphilis), Yersinia enterocolitica, and Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species (common agents of bacterial contamination), and parasites such as Plasmodium species (the agent of malaria), Trypanosoma cruzi (agent of Chagas' disease), and Babesia microti (agent of babesiosis) have also been reported to be transmitted through blood transfusion. In addition, emerging blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis E virus (HEV), human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8), Borrelia burgdorferi (agent of Lyme disease), and the unknown agent of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and variant CJD (vCJD) may pose a threat to the safety of blood. I had a brother who was given blood when he was born. He died a month later of the disease he got. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 428381 | 2006-02-08 20:08:00 | I've thought about becoming a platelets donor as well . The main thing that has stopped me up till now has been the time commitment required, but now that I am aiming to become a total idler, that excuse doesn't really hold any more, so I really ought to make the phone call . Is apheresis the same as plasmapheresis? Don't quote me on this, but my understanding is that apheresis is the procedure of collecting whole blood, spinning out the platelets (and some plasma by association) and returning the rest . I think plasmapheresis is similar, but is designed for plasma specifically . My brother-in-law is a plasma donor, and his donations take about 30 minutes, I think . As a (former) apheresis donor, I would take about 2 hours - that included the screening questions, haemeglobin count check, blood pressure check, and between 9 and 11 cycles (extract whole blood, centrifuge, extraction, return) . They use an anti-coagulant that can give you a slightly chilled feeling in the arm when they return the blood - some people need to have a blanket they get so cold, and occasionally a tingling in the lips . They also fuss over you, provide tv/video, orange juice, teac, coffee, anything to make you comfortable . If you can spare the time, don't have a needle phobia, and have a sufficent HG count, and stable blood pressure, it's well worthwhile . Cheers Lizard |
Lizard (2409) | ||
| 428382 | 2006-02-08 20:23:00 | I can't remember exactly what type my daughter is but they always phone her up when she is "due" to make a donation to remind her so they must be keen for whatever reason . She is A negative and they are so keen because there is only 3% of the population in this blood group . I will have to get her to ask them whether they turn her blood into products like John mentioned or whether they use her blood whole . Probably the former as blood doesn't keep for very long . |
FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 428383 | 2006-02-08 20:24:00 | I had a brother who was given blood when he was born. He died a month later of the disease he got. That's sad, but would he have died if he had not had the blood transfusion? |
FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 428384 | 2006-02-08 20:37:00 | snip I will have to get her to ask them whether they turn her blood into products like John mentioned or whether they use her blood whole. Probably the former as blood doesn't keep for very long. As someone else said earlier in the thread, they used to send you a letter saying what they did with your blood, and that is what I was told each time (from memory something to do with serum? plasma?). However, apparently they don't send those letters out now, so it may not be possible to find out. I was on their books for about 15 years variously in Wellytown, Orcland, and ChaCha, and was never called up once to provide blood for someone in my small blood group (B Rh-). Mind you, they probably had a note saying I was a bad bleeder because more than once my vein shut down and they couldn't get a full bag despite lots of nausea causing wiggling of the needle. My parsimonious veins are probably linked to my Scots ancestry. If anyone is interested in following up on blood transfusion from a social perspective, an oft quoted and interesting book about it is: Titmuss. Richard M. 1997. The gift relationship - From human blood to social policy. New York: New Press. |
John H (8) | ||
| 428385 | 2006-02-08 21:10:00 | I'm an A+ donor. (the blood type, not the donor profile). Suits me, I've got the time as a only work part time. It is for me simply a good thing. After I have a cup of tea and a bikkie and feel virtuous like I've been to church without all the religous stuff. | mark c (247) | ||
| 428386 | 2006-02-09 00:05:00 | That's sad, but would he have died if he had not had the blood transfusion? No. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 428387 | 2006-02-09 00:26:00 | They don't transfuse blood unless there's a very good reason. They don't do any procedure on babies unless there's an extremely good reason. The baby probably would have died a month sooner. Some diseases are transmitted by blood transfusion. But only if the disease is carried in the blood. That's why people get turned down when they offer to give blood. In New Zealand, when people volunteer to give blood, unlike many countries when donors are paid, the blood is very safe. You've got much more chance of dying for lack of a transfusion than of a disease transmitted in blood. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 428388 | 2006-02-09 04:28:00 | Not allowed to because they think I may have Mad cow disease as I was in England in 81. | mikebartnz (21) | ||
| 428389 | 2006-02-09 04:51:00 | Graham's correct about the stringent safety checks. I saw more & more questions added to the pre-donation questionnaire as new dangers like HIV arose, and recent travel to certain countries meant follow-up queries. The blood also undergoes tests before it's used, and that gave a quick-thinking newsroom colleague of mine - also a universal donor - the perfect squelch for a smart-alec journalist who mumbled a complaint when we were both phoned at short notice for a crash emergency. "At least Laura & I know we haven't got VD." |
Laura (43) | ||
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