Whole Blood Components - Red Cross Blood Donation

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Whole Blood and What It Contains

What Is Whole Blood?

Whole blood is simply our blood as it flows in our bodies – with none of its components separated or removed. In medicine, whole blood is an uncommon type of transfusion. It is used to treat patients who need large amounts of all the components of blood, such as those who have sustained significant blood loss due to trauma or heart surgery.

 

What Are the Components of Blood?

Whole blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, all of which are suspended in a liquid called plasma. Whole blood and each of it’s four components are all valuable tools in modern medicine.

 

How Much Blood Is in the Human Body?

The amount of blood in a person’s body depends on their size (the bigger the person’s body is, the more blood it will contain). A newborn baby’s body will contain only around a cup of blood whereas a 150-180 lb. adult will have approximately 1.2-1.5 gallons (or 10 units) of blood in their body.  Blood is approximately 10% of an adult’s weight.

Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Platelets All Constitute What Part of Whole Blood?

Our red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, make up about 45% of the volume of our blood. The remaining 55% is liquid plasma.

How Are Whole Blood Donations Used?

Whole blood is used to help patients in 2 ways. It can be transfused into a single patient. Whole blood can also be separated into its specific components of red cells, plasma and platelets. These components can be given to different patients, which is why we say that a donation of one unit or pint of whole blood can help multiple people. (Although white blood cells are sometimes used in medicine, they are not derived from a whole blood donation.)

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Why Donations Are So Important

Recent studies show that there is a need for blood transfusions every 2 seconds. Whole blood is the simplest, most common type of blood donation. An appointment to donate whole blood can take as little as one hour, and the actual donation is only 8-10 minutes of that time.

 

Learn More About Blood Components

Platelets

Plasma

Red Blood Cells

Cryoprecipitate

Whole Blood

Hematocrit

White Blood Cells