What happens to blood after it is given?
It is tested, split into its parts and stored until a patient needs it. One donation can help three patients that way.
Testing
Under the Law on Transfusion Medicine every unit of blood is tested at least for:
- the ABO and RhD blood group and clinically significant antibodies;
- HIV 1 and 2, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.
Each unit is also checked with the molecular NAT method at ITKS. If a result is positive, the donor is told and the blood is not used.
Splitting
Blood is split into its parts: red cells, plasma and platelets. Each goes to a patient who needs it, so one bag helps three people. Medicines are also made from plasma, such as albumin, immunoglobulins and clotting factors.
How long it keeps
- Red cells: up to 42 days, at about 4 °C.
- Platelets: only five days, kept gently moving at room temperature. That is why new donors are always needed.
- Plasma: frozen, up to two years.
At least six to eight hours pass between a donation and its use, the time the processing and testing take.