Blood Donation

MAKING DIFFERENCE IN LIVES TOGETHER

BLOOD DONATION: you can help
Serving a Mission

Many variables can impact our blood inventories such as weather, holidays or tragic events.  Every day, patients who need blood are in crisis and you can help by volunteering to donate.  Less than 7% of the population gives blood, so donors that give on a regular basis are important to meet these needs.

DONATING BLOOD
Blood is made up of four main components. Red blood cells, platelets, plasma and white blood cells. Each whole blood donation has the potential to save up to three lives.

Giving Blood
After completing pre-donation screening, a phlebotomist will lead volunteer- blood donor to a reclining donor chair. Next, the phlebotomist will cleanse the area on blood donor’s forearm where the needle will be inserted. A sterile, one-time use kit is used for each donation. This includes the collection bag, testing tubes, needle and all tubing. The donation process for whole blood donation will last about 8-10 minutes. Blood Centre phlebotomist will observe blood donation from beginning to end and answer any questions blood donor may have.

BLOOD TYPES
Every blood type is needed to help patients who count on lifesaving transfusions. But what you may not know is that each blood type can help in different ways
Blood Products
Red Blood Cells
Red Cell Components carry oxygen around the body. Red blood cell transfusions are used to treat patients with chronic anaemia (from disorders such as kidney failure or cancer) and acute blood loss (as a result of trauma or surgery).
Platelets
Platelets have special blood clotting properties and can also be used to control bleeding following cardiac surgery and trauma. They can be used to treat patients undergoing some treatments for blood diseases and cancer.
Fresh Frozen Plasma
Fresh Frozen Plasma makes up over half the volume of blood and is packed full of proteins and antibodies. Plasma is used to treat accident and trauma victims, and patients who have compromised immunity.
Plasma Products
Albumex
Albumex®20 is a manufactured form of purified albumin, a protein found in blood. It is used to treat patients with deficient albumin levels, often caused by liver disorders or kidney disease. Read more about Albumex
Factor VIII
(Factor VIII) is a concentrated protein that is essential to normal blood clotting. It is used for the management of haemophilia A, an inherited bleeding disorder which requires lifelong treatment.
Cryoprecipitate
Cryoprecipitate is a plasma component containing blood clotting factors used in the treatment of trauma patients and during cardiac or transplant surgeries
Rh(D) Immunoglobin-VF ( Anti- D)
Rh(D) Immunoglobin-VF (Anti-D) is a product used to prevent haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) caused by an incompatibility of the blood types between a mother and her baby. The complications of HDN can vary from mild jaundice to severe disability or death.
Prothrombinex®-VF (Factors II, IX and X)
Protrombinex®-VF is a concentrate consisting of human coagulation factors II, IX and X. It is used to reverse the anticoagulant (blood-thinning) effect of warfarin in patients who are bleeding
Intragram®P
Intragram®P is an immunoglobin product and a concentrated solution of antibodies. It is administered intravenously in the treatment of immunodeficient patients, or where a patient’s immune system has been compromised
Normal Immunoglobin
Immunoglobin is a technical word for antibodies. Normal Immunoglobin can prevent hepatitis A and can give a patient protection for between 3 to 6 months. It is used for specific patients, as a hepatitis A vaccination is preferred for those with normal immune function.
PLASMA DONATION
How is it different from giving blood?
Giving plasma is an automated process that involves drawing blood and separating the red blood cells and platelets from the plasma. The red blood cells and platelets are returned to the donor’s body, while the plasma is collected in a sterile, single-use bag for processing. Using this process (known as apheresis), 2-3 times more plasma can be collected compared to a blood donation, and plasma donations can be made more frequently.
Every day, plasma saves the lives of people who have lost blood through accidents or other trauma. It’s also used to create up to 11 lifesaving products: boosting the immune system of people with low levels of antibodies; controlling autoimmune disorders; and providing clotting factor concentrates for people with bleeding disorders.
Because of the ever-increasing number of conditions plasma can treat, the demand is also increasing.
Apheresis (pronounced ay-fur-ee-sis) is the name for the process used to collect a single blood component, e.g. plasma, and comes from the Greek word meaning “to take away” or “to separate”.

BLOOD BANKING
IABCD Blood Centre (bank): This provides around-the-clock routine and specialized testing and blood components to support the transfusion needs of patients, including those undergoing surgery and those patients who have suffered a trauma, those with various blood and cancer disorders, and those cared for in IABCD Day Care Centre special care services for Thalassaemia.
Indian Association of Blood Cancer & Allied Diseases ( Blood Centre) known as IABCD Blood Centre is the exclusive provider of blood products and services to more than 42 hospitals/ health care centres located in the districts of Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Noth 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Bardhaman, Pashim Bardhaman, Nadia, Murshidabad in West Bengal. IABCD Blood Centre collects approximately 12000 units blood every year from 147 outdoor blood donation sites. Every year, we team up with thousands of blood donors and hundreds of community partners to help save lives through blood drives.

Quality & Safety of the blood supply

• Collection and Testing Procedures
• Taking a careful and current medical history from each donor
• Performing a mini physical examination on each donor
• Performing various laboratory tests on donated blood to detect potentially infectious agents
• State-of-the-art on-site testing

A positive result in any of these infectious disease tests may result in that unit being discarded:

• RBC Ab (Red Blood Cell Antibody)
• Syphilis
• HBsAg (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen)
  HBcAb (Hepatitis B Core Antibody)
• HCV Ab (Hepatitis C Virus Antibody)
  HIV-1/2 ANTIBODY (Human Immunodeficiency Type 1 and Type 2 Virus Antibody).

Bacterial Testing of Platelets Bacterial Detection is a quality control test done on units of platelets to check for the presence of bacteria. Platelets are especially susceptible to growth of bacteria because, unlike other blood products that are stored refrigerated or frozen, they are stored near room temperature.

 Consistent, reliable blood testing

Ensuring a smooth and appropriate blood supply in our service area along with the provision of blood products in case of disaster

• Production of high quality blood products
• Supply hospitals with blood products 24 hours a day
• Outpatient treatment of patients with transfusion medicine and haematopoiesis medicine requirements
• Serological sample compatibility as well as serologic testing

Blood Banking -Institutional Services ( No of units)

Safety is our Cornerstone

Everything that we do contributes to the safety of our donors, products and the recipients of the services that we provide to New Zealanders. In doing this we commit to the following values:

• Striving for Excellence
• Teamwork
• Integrity and Respect
• Open Communication
• Safety for All