Supplying Britain's blood (1989)

Excuse me, sir. Have you ever thought about donating blood? Never thought about doing that, actually. I've blood done now, yes. No, not really. I really don't have the time to do anything like that. My time is too precious to give up the whole afternoon. Just not interested. I already donate. You already donate? Where? I've no time, mate. Work hard. I've always wanted to do it. Don't you still do that sort of thing? You've got a lot of time waiting to spare, you know. I've done a blood test already. Not just at the moment. Well, I don't think I'd qualify. How would you get AIDS from giving blood, anyway? Well, I would like to, but I haven't got the gap to do it. I really run out of excuses. I just can't understand needles. I've never needed blood. Why should I give it away? Everyone seems to be able to find a reason for not giving blood. The truth is, we need blood all the time and of all types, particularly group O. The demand for blood products has greatly increased in recent years. In modern medicine, the patient can be given just the blood component he or she needs, so that the best possible use is made of every donation. We need blood, not just for accidents and emergencies, but for all manner of surgical operations and medical procedures. Extensive blood supplies are needed to treat people with cancer and cases of burns. For each liver transplant, we may need to set aside up to 100 units of blood of the patient's own blood group. The blood supplies are received from the regional blood transfusion center. That supply determines what a doctor can do. Without blood, his hands are tied. Blood is a living substance made up of cells carried in a fluid called plasma. An average adult has about 5 L or 9 pints of blood. 45% of the volume of blood is made up of red cells, white cells, and platelets. The rest is plasma. Red cells carry oxygen. White cells fight germs. And platelets help the blood to clot. Plasma is the liquid in which all the other components are suspended and is essential for circulation. Blood also contains vital chemical substances and antibodies, which serve as a defense against all manner of diseases. These can be extracted and used for the benefit of others. And how are you today? Very well, thank you. How would you get AIDS from giving blood, anyway? You cannot get any diseases from giving blood. All the equipment used at a session for the collection of blood is used once only and then incinerated. One day. Yeah, it's the first. All right, just hold on a moment, then. Most people give blood at a public session. The process of donating blood is a simple affair and one that can be repeated every few months. I can't give up the whole afternoon. Sorry. Giving blood at a public session takes about an hour. You can never guarantee everybody will arrive at their allotted time and some people turn up on the off chance. Well, I was at work, so I never got a chance. Some employers allow you to donate blood at your place of work, an opportunity we're very grateful for. Hello, Rena. Are you on your way to give some blood? Yes, the very first time. The blood transfusion service visits here twice a year. We have the blood transfusion service here because we feel we can contribute to the community. Uh there's a lot of children in the area and I would like to think that maybe the next child could be yours and therefore the blood would be available. We feel we can get so many more people in to do it this way and also we know what is going on. We can organize it. Over the years, we have done it so often that we now have the organization down to a fine art. All right, so first time giving? Just go with it slowly. Maybe nothing to it. You can feel all right. No, I couldn't stand the thought of the needle. Donating blood is a simple and painless process, made easier by the fact that a local anesthetic can be given to numb your skin for a few minutes. Most people find it a rewarding experience. All right, are you comfortable? That was fast. It's not going to take long, is it? No. I'm after you. She wants some juice and biscuits. Do you have another biscuit? Let me help you up. I hope to see you again in 6 months. You bet. The blood transfusion service is very keen to develop links with employers as it's quicker and more cost-effective to collect blood at your place of work. The whole process has taken about half an hour and the disruption has been minimal. The collection bag has a number of sealed outlets, which allow for the sterile separation of blood components such as plasma and platelets. From the local collection point, your donation is then taken to the regional center for testing and processing. The donation is cross-referenced on a computer to prepare them for separation into their various components. Now that the center has a record of a donation, it can be spun in a centrifuge. The red cells, being the heaviest, drop to the bottom, leaving plasma at the top of the collection bag. The plasma is then extracted from the bag by being squeezed into a transfer pack. The plasma is then spun again to enable platelets to drop to the bottom and be separated in their turn. The donation is now in three parts: red cells, platelets, and plasma. I thought you could store that stuff for months. Hello, blood issue. In practice, blood is used almost immediately as living cells have a very short storage life. Red cells are kept for 35 days at 4°C ready for local transfusions. Yes, I am. 20 O positive. The platelets can only be kept for 5 days at normal temperatures. The absence of platelets in some blood disorders such as leukemia can result in bleeding. I'm 6 ft 3. A blood sample from every donor is tested for blood group, rhesus type, and certain antibodies. This is done by putting the sample through special equipment, which by sampling with a probe can automatically group the blood and test for evidence of antibodies. More people have group O blood than any other group, so we have the greatest need for group O blood donations. Here in the microbiology department, every donation is screened for evidence of infection. I already have one. You already done all that. Your donation is the most valuable gift you can give. You can now help even more often by becoming a plasma or platelet donor. Plasma sessions are held regularly at permanent centers similar to this session at Newcastle. Red cells take up to 90 days to replace, but plasma is replaced within 24 hours. You can donate plasma or platelets as regularly as every week or so. There's a growing need for plasma and platelet donations for advanced medical procedures and from which to make factor VIII to help people with hemophilia. The machines basically consist of a pump which takes blood from the donor and returns it to the donor, and a bowl which the blood goes into. The bowl is spun very quickly and the red cells, being heavier, move to the outside of the bowl. The plasma is forced through the center of the bowl into a collection bag. When the bowl is full of red cells and all the plasma has been expressed, the machine automatically returns the red cells back to the donor. Since the 1st of September this year, I've been working for a group of engineering companies in County Durham as a financial director. Well, I allow 1 hour for a plasma donation, whereas I would probably allow half an hour for a normal blood donor session. So, it's twice as long, but an extra half an hour for what it provides is just time well spent and I make the time. It's very relaxing and quite frankly, it's not a bad way to start the day. The plasma is then sent to the blood products laboratory at Elstree, who are able to manufacture over 20 different products from it. The blood products laboratory is one of the most advanced fractionation centers in the world. Over 60 million pounds has been invested to enable England and Wales to meet their needs for blood products. Scotland has its own fractionation center in Edinburgh. The plasma is processed under strict sterile conditions to avoid any risk of contamination. Plasma contains various proteins, antibodies, and clotting substances vital for the prevention and treatment of many illnesses. Concentrated albumin is valuable in the treatment of certain liver and kidney diseases. Factor VIII acts as a clotting agent and is used for treating people with hemophilia. Extracted antibodies are amongst the temporarily protect vulnerable people against chickenpox, measles, mumps, tetanus, rabies, and other diseases. Oh, well, I don't think I would qualify. You can become a blood donor if you're fit and aged between 18 and 60. And we need every one of you. Never needed blood, why should I give it away? Never been ill in my life. If you were in a road accident, you would expect the blood to be there. You may never become ill or be involved in a road accident or suffer scalding burns. You might not need a hip replacement or a heart bypass operation, but thousands of others do and they need your help. Help in the shape of blood and blood products, plasma, and platelets. The National Blood Transfusion Service ensures we meet that demand through the generosity of your donation. We need more people to donate blood, especially to meet the demand for more advanced medical and surgical treatment and to provide a lifeline to those who are not so lucky. We're really grateful to the Blood Transfusion Service because Emily needed five units of blood after road accident and now she's better and she's coming home next week in time for her birthday. You're going to do them now, I see. Yes. Right. Hello, can I just stop you a minute? I'm from the Blood Transfusion Service. We're looking for new blood donors in the area. Would you be interested? Uh, I, yeah. All right, put my name down. Um, possibly, yeah. Um, well, yes. Okay then, I'll come down. Yeah, I got Yes, okay. All right. Yes, I would. Uh, yeah, possibly. Yeah, I would. All right, I'll be there. Yeah, why not? Okay. Okay, thanks. Okay. Thanks. Okay. I've got your name and your telephone number because I'm going to be a blood donor. Okay, thanks.