Donating blood saves lives everyday. Today I want to urge you to Be Impulsive and consider donating blood.
Have you ever thought about how often blood is transfused in the United States? It’s every two seconds. Every two seconds someone is getting a pack of life saving blood. It’s sad to think that there is that much need for blood but it’s amazing that so many people donate to help fellow humans!
As a nurse in a busy trauma center and emergency department I administer blood frequently. Traumas come in at all hours of the day and we never know what kind of injuries we are going to be trying to fix. For serious injuries we sometimes do what is called Mass Transfusion Protocol (MTP.) People with these injuries are bleeding somewhere. It could be an amputation of a limb, internal bleeding in the abdomen, sometimes we don’t know the source right away. In these situations the patient needs blood transfusions, a lot of blood and they need it immediately. The patients are also given other blood products, like platelets and plasma, which have been donated as well! It’s fantastic that at a trauma center we can have units of blood available and in the patients body within minutes.
The blood that you donate saves lives.
It’s scary to think of what would happen if blood wasn’t readily available. Did you know you can donate blood every 56 days? Yes, up to six times in one year! And each whole blood donation can help up to three patients. You can also donate platelets and plasma. Platelets only have a shelf life of five days, so they are always needed.
If you are in Phoenix, to make an appointment to donate blood or blood products contact United Blood Services. You can follow them on Twitter @bloodheroes.
How can YOU get involved? Find out at BeImpulsiveRSVP.com. #BeImpulsive.
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