SAN ANTONIO – Throughout the years, thousands of volunteer blood donors have sat in the chairs of the Blood Donor Room at University Hospital in efforts to save lives.
"Of the people who can donate, only about 37% of the eligible donors in the United States actually donate," Dr. John Daniels said. Daniels is the medical director for blood services at University Hospital.
During a single visit, a blood donor gives a little more than a pint of blood. The blood is deposited into a plastic bag that contains a small amount of preservative. All blood, Daniels explains, has an expiration date.
"The red blood cells (are placed) into a particular preservative (to) get 42 days of a shelf life," Daniels said.
Within hours of its donation at University Hospital, blood is taken to the Processing Center where it undergoes a number of steps.
"We prepare the blood to be separated out into its components," Daniels said. "In this case, (we're separating the blood into) red blood cells and plasma. Red blood cells are stored at a particular temperature (and) plasma has to be prepared in a particular way and frozen within a particular time."
Depending on what's needed, the blood can be placed in a gravity filter, be spun in a centrifuge, squeezed or frozen.
KSAT Community Blood Drive ends Friday, Feb. 1
Daniels explained the blood unit bags will first be placed on a rack to filter red blood cells through gravity. The next step is a temperature-controlled centrifuge.
"They basically spin the blood and spread it out (with) the heavier components, (the red blood cells) on the bottom and the liquid part, (the plasma) on the top," Daniels said.
After that, the blood gets expressed.
“We have expressers that then will separate them out physically between the red blood cells and the plasma into their different component bag types,” Daniels said.
The plasma will then be frozen and red blood cells will be stored in a refrigerator pending testing for infectious disease.
"Once we get the results back on those, we then do the labeling," Daniels said. "Labeling is also done here, and then we'll transfer it over to the blood bank itself in order for it to be potentially used by patients."
Daniels says although they’re able to sustain almost half of the blood needed within the center itself, there’s still a big need for donors in order to continue to save lives.
Help save a life during National Blood Donor Month with blood donations
"We appreciate all the donors that come here to University Hospital to donate blood," Daniels said. "If you can donate, please go out and donate because it really is important. It truly saves lives."
For more information on blood donation services at University Hospital, click here.