FORT SILL, Okla.-- Helps: anyone in need of life-saving blood due to injury or illness.
Donation time: about one hour.
Donate as often as every 56 days.
Double red blood cells
Helps: patients suffering blood loss due to trauma, surgery and anemia.
Additional physical requirements. Males: taller than 5 feet 1 inch and heavier than 130 pounds. Females: taller than 5 feet 5 inches and heavier than 150 pounds.
Donation time: roughly 90 minutes.
Donate as often as every 112 days.
Special considerations: Every double red blood cell donor provides double the life-saving blood to those in need. It's the way to help most with one blood donation.
Platelets
Helps: surgery and cancer patients as well as others with blood clotting disorders
Additional physical requirements: no intake of products containing aspirin 48 hours prior to donation.
Donation time: about two hours.
Donate as often as every seven days or a maximum of 24 times in a 12-month period.
Special considerations: Only platelets are removed, allowing up to 12 times more to be collected than in one whole blood donation; platelets are fragile and can only be given to patients within five days of donation, so platelet donors are constantly needed; donor's body rapidly replaces platelets.
Plasma
Helps: burn, organ transplant and clotting disorder patients.
Donation time: 90 minutes.
Donate as often as every 28 days.
Special considerations: Plasma acts as a carrier for red blood cells and nutrients to help restore health; donor fluid loss is less than through whole blood donation.
Red cells and plasma
Helps: red blood cells benefit trauma, surgery and other patients with chronic blood disorders; plasma often helps blood to clot due to internal bleeding or burns.
Donation time: usually 90 minutes.
Donate as often as every 56 days for this combined donation.
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