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Your blood donation can have an amazing impact on the world by saving lives. In the time it takes to blink, another hospital patient in the U.S. will need a transfusion. And did you know there are different types of blood donations you can make that may help certain patients?
The typical donation is one pint of whole blood, but special equipment allows us to collect parts of your blood separately (a process called apheresis). The information below shows how these individual blood components often help specific patients.
You can make the greatest impact by giving the recommended donation based on your blood type. Patients in need will be grateful for whatever type of donation you make!*
Whole blood can help many types of patients, especially those undergoing surgery and trauma patients. During this type of donation, we collect about one pint of your blood, test it, and then separate your donation into components like red blood cells and plasma.
Patients helped: Most often trauma and surgery patients
Recommended blood types: All types
Total time: 1 hour Donation time: 15 minutes
How often you can donate: Every 56 days up to 6 times a year
Power Red donations pack double the impact because the automated procedure collects a concentrated donation of red cells that can help twice as many patients. Power Reds are especially helpful to trauma victims, newborn babies and sickle cell patients.
Patients helped: Pediatric patients, trauma or surgery patients, sickle cell patients and people with anemia
Recommended blood types: O-, O+, A-, B-
Total time: 1.5 hours Donation time: 40 to 45 minutes
How often you can donate: Every 112 days up to 3 times a year
Platelet donations are vital to many cancer patients. Chemotherapy can destroy platelets, a key blood component for clotting blood to stopping bleeding. This type of donation is collected with a machine that removes your platelets and returns your red blood cells and plasma to you.
Patients helped: Cancer patients, people with blood disorders, those undergoing open-heart surgeries and organ transplants
Recommended blood types: A+, B+, AB+ and AB-
Total time: 2.5 to 3 hours Donation time: 2 hours
How often you can donate: Every 7 days up to 24 times a year
Plasma, the liquid portion of your blood, carries all the other parts of your blood. Plasma donations often help people with serious burns or major blood loss caused by other traumas. This type of donation also involves an automated process to remove only the plasma from your blood.
Patients helped: Patients in shock, those with severe burns or clotting disorders
Recommended blood types: AB+, AB-
Total time: 1.5 to 2 hours Donation time: 30 to 45 minutes
How often you can donate: Every 28 days up to 13 times a year
Vitalant staff may ask if you’d like to make a different type of blood donation when you schedule or arrive at your appointment. They may base their request on your blood type, other criteria such as weight, and current patient needs.
You can also choose what type of donation you would like to make when scheduling an appointment. *Not all donation types are available at all locations. Final eligibility for any blood donation is determined on the day of donation.
Then, use any donate button to schedule an appointment.