Donating blood is one of the ways you can help people in need. In the United States, there are people needing a blood transfusion every two seconds. As one donation can save up to three lives, it is truly beneficial for society when people donate blood.
However, blood donation is often confused with plasma donation. Although the procedures for blood and plasma donations are very similar, many are unaware of the difference between blood and plasma donation.
In this blog, we’ll explore blood donation vs. plasma donation, their individual uses, goals, and other information donors should know.
Defining Blood Donation vs. Plasma Donation
The main difference between blood and plasma donation is the composition of the fluid extracted. The best way to demonstrate this is to define the two:
- Blood – Whole blood is made up of red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. It carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, providing sustenance at the cellular level to ensure the health and proper functioning of tissues and organs.
- Plasma – On its own, plasma is clear or straw-colored. It’s 90 percent water and carries nutrients, minerals, proteins, and hormones. Since it’s a component of whole blood, technicians must perform another procedure to separate and extract plasma.
What is Whole Blood Donation?
Whole blood donation is the most common type of donation. It’s most commonly used to treat blood loss from an injury and prevent it while a patient undergoes surgery. Whole blood donation is also used to treat anemia and blood disorders or for medical research, training, and testing.
Here are a few more useful facts to note about donated blood:
- Whole blood can be divided into components as needed. Besides plasma, red blood cells can also be extracted to treat blood disorders.
- Extracted red blood cells have a short shelf life. They can only last for 42 days (six weeks) and should be used within this period.
- The average adult has about 10 pints of blood.
- One pint of blood is collected for every donation.
Procedure
The procedure for donating blood is quite straightforward: a technician cleanses the donor’s forearm with an alcohol swab before inserting a sterilized needle in the vein. Drawing a pint of blood takes about 10-15 minutes, during which the donor will be asked to recline, lie in a bed, or rest their arm on an elevated surface.
Who Can Donate Blood?
The criteria for donating blood in the United States are as follows:
- The donor must weigh at least 110 lbs.
- The age limit in most states is 16 years old.
- Must be in good health.
- Must be feeling well on the day of the blood donation (if not, the donor must inform the facilitating organization and ask for a reschedule if they still want to donate).
- People with chronic diseases like diabetes may still be able to donate if they are receiving regular treatment and their condition is under control.
What about people with tattoos? There used to be a stigma that individuals with body ink cannot donate blood, but that has now changed. People with tattoos can donate blood, provided their latest tattoos are more than four months old and completely healed. In addition, some blood donation facilities might ask for proof that the tattoos were done at a state-regulated facility to grant eligibility to interested blood donors.
How Frequently Can You Donate?
Individuals can donate whole blood every 56 days or up to six times annually. However, donors with chronic conditions might need their physician’s permission to donate frequently. Blood donation centers and technicians might also ask about a donor’s medical history and records of current medications.
What is Plasma Donation?
Plasma donations are often used to treat cases of severe trauma, injuries caused by burn or shock, certain types of cancer, and people suffering from liver or clotting disorders. Those who donate plasma go through the same process as whole blood donation. The donor criteria are also the same. However, a specific type of plasma donation, conducted by the American Red Cross, has a slightly different process from regular plasma donation.
The AB Elite Plasma Donation is a plasma-only donation. Only individuals with blood type AB (estimated to be only four percent of the population) may qualify for this procedure.
Here’s how it works:
- The donor is hooked into a high-tech machine that separates plasma from blood on the spot.
- The machine draws blood from the donor’s arm, collects the plasma, then safely returns the rest of the blood’s components – red and white blood cells and platelets – back to the donor’s body.
- The process takes about one hour and 15 minutes.
Here’s another significant difference between blood and plasma donation: qualified AB Elite Plasma donors can donate every 27 days or up to 13 times per year, twice as often as whole blood donors. This is the Red Cross standard. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has a different regulation that allows people to donate plasma once every two days.
Do You Get Compensation for Donating Blood and Plasma?
Many donate blood voluntarily because they sincerely desire to help save lives. But did you know you can also get paid to donate plasma?
Over 900 plasma donation centers in the United States offer between $20 to $100 for each bottle of donated plasma. Donations to the Red Cross are not compensated, but donation centers that partner with pharmaceutical and research companies may offer compensation – some offering at least $50 per appointment. Plasma centers also follow the FDA regulation, which means individuals can get paid to donate plasma twice a week.
Whole blood donations, however, are not as often compensated. It is legal to pay people to donate blood. Still, the World Health Organization (WHO) discourages the practice for ethical and safety reasons (if people do not receive compensation for blood donations, they are less likely to lie about their medical histories and risk factors).
Donate Blood Plasma and Save Lives
It’s rare to have an opportunity to help save lives and get compensated for it. And now that the global demand for plasma-derived medicines and plasma for medical research is increasing, every donation you make can positively impact thousands of lives worldwide.
ABO Plasma, an independent blood plasma collection facility, can give you both the opportunity to help and the benefit of receiving compensation. We observe a thorough screening process to ensure that each donor is in excellent health and can safely donate plasma every time.
For more information on how to donate, view our checklist and sign up for an appointment.