WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: What Happens to Donated Blood?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brainstud a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey brain Stuff, I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and this is

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<v Speaker 2>a classic episode from our archives. This one goes into

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<v Speaker 2>the complex system that medical care providers use to make

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<v Speaker 2>sure that donated blood is safe from source to infusion.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel Bomb. Here.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode talks about blood donation. So if that's the

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<v Speaker 1>kind of thing that makes you woozy, go on and

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<v Speaker 1>skip it. Okay, Every two seconds in the United States,

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<v Speaker 1>someone somewhere needs a blood transfusion. And let's face it,

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<v Speaker 1>many of us don't consider giving blood until there's a

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<v Speaker 1>major disaster where donations are needed. But just one donation

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<v Speaker 1>has the potential to save up to three lives on average.

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<v Speaker 1>When you donate blood, you provide about one pint. That's

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<v Speaker 1>about half a liter of whole blood, which is called

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<v Speaker 1>a unit of blood, and for reference, that's about sixteen ounces,

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<v Speaker 1>or the size of a large coffee. But in the

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<v Speaker 1>US alone, there is a need for almost thirty six

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<v Speaker 1>thousand units of blood every day, so it's excellent for

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<v Speaker 1>those who can donate to do so. But have you

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<v Speaker 1>ever wondered what actually happens after your blood is drawn

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<v Speaker 1>for a donation, Where does it go and how is

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<v Speaker 1>the process tracked for safety and security. We'll break it down.

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<v Speaker 1>Step one is collection. When you donate blood, it's collected

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<v Speaker 1>in a special bag and likely a few test tubes

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<v Speaker 1>that were developed with an antiquagulant to prevent the blood

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<v Speaker 1>from clotting. Each bag and test tube is assigned the

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<v Speaker 1>same unique ID number to ensure that the collected blood

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<v Speaker 1>can be properly tracked and eventually labeled. Then the blood

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<v Speaker 1>is placed on ice before it's sent to the lab

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<v Speaker 1>for testing. Next, the bags and test tubes of blood

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<v Speaker 1>are packaged in boxes specially made to keep blood at

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<v Speaker 1>the right temperature until it can reach laboratories. For step

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<v Speaker 1>two processing, the test tube samples are sent off to

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<v Speaker 1>the lab for testing to be sure the blood is

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<v Speaker 1>safe and to determine the blood type. In the US,

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<v Speaker 1>the FDA regulates blood testing, clatlection, and blood components through

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<v Speaker 1>its Center for Biologics, Evaluation and Research. While that blood

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<v Speaker 1>is being tested, a blood processing center verifies the receipt

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<v Speaker 1>of the whole blood, sort of like tracking a package

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<v Speaker 1>from post office through delivery. The blood's idea is checked

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<v Speaker 1>in at every step of the way. Next, the units

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<v Speaker 1>of whole blood are separated into specific components. This separation process,

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<v Speaker 1>which is called component therapy, is accomplished by spinning the

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<v Speaker 1>blood in a centrifuge. The heavy red cells fall to

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<v Speaker 1>the bottom and the blood is divided into transfusible components

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<v Speaker 1>red cells, platelets, and plasma. The plasma might even be

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<v Speaker 1>processed further. For instance, plasma can be separated into cryoprecipitate

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<v Speaker 1>called cryo for short, which helps control the risk of

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<v Speaker 1>bleeding by helping blood to clot. The red blood cells, plasma,

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<v Speaker 1>and platelets are then heat sealed in bags to ensure

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<v Speaker 1>they remain sterile, and the components are stored while they

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<v Speaker 1>wait for their test results. Plasma and cryo contain proteins

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<v Speaker 1>that are pretty stable, so they can be frozen for

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<v Speaker 1>up to time a year at negative twenty seven degrees

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<v Speaker 1>fahrenheit that's negative thirty three celsius. Red cells are more

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<v Speaker 1>delicate and have to be refrigerated, but can be kept

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<v Speaker 1>for up to forty two days as long as they're

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<v Speaker 1>held at forty two degrees fahrenheit that's six degrees celsius.

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<v Speaker 1>Platelets must be used within five days and are stored

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<v Speaker 1>at room temperature in agitators that rock them back and

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<v Speaker 1>forth until they are transfused into a patient. Through all

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<v Speaker 1>of this, the blood processing center is still tracking the donation,

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<v Speaker 1>including manufacturing data, what centrifuge was used to separate the blood,

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<v Speaker 1>and what time the work was performed. Once they get

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<v Speaker 1>an okay on the blood tests from the lab, the

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<v Speaker 1>components are ready to be deployed. They print labels with

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<v Speaker 1>information including the blood type and expiration dates, which they

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<v Speaker 1>then affix to the bags. If the blood is deemed

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<v Speaker 1>unsafe during the testing, it's tagged with a discard label

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<v Speaker 1>to complete the tracking cycle. When a hospital or treatment

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<v Speaker 1>center places an order for blood or plasma, the components

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<v Speaker 1>are shipped off in temperature safe boxes. When they arrive,

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<v Speaker 1>the medical staff double checks them for safety, and finally

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<v Speaker 1>they're ready to be transfused into the patient who needs them.

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<v Speaker 1>The entire donation to shipping process can take up to

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<v Speaker 1>three days, which doesn't seem like a long time until

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<v Speaker 1>there's a major disaster or blood shortage. The American Red

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<v Speaker 1>Cross says blood supply usually can't keep up with demand

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<v Speaker 1>because only about three percent of people eligible to donate

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<v Speaker 1>actually do. That's why it's such a boon to donate

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<v Speaker 1>if you can, especially if you're a universal donor with

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<v Speaker 1>type O negative blood. This can be transfused into any

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<v Speaker 1>patient with any blood type. The American Red Cross estimates

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<v Speaker 1>that about forty five percent of people in the US

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<v Speaker 1>have type OH blood, but the overwhelming majority of those

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<v Speaker 1>people are OH positive, which is lucky for them because

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<v Speaker 1>it means that donated components are more likely to match

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<v Speaker 1>their common type, but it also means that just seven

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<v Speaker 1>percent of people are type O negative that universal donor.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's episode is based on the article what Happens to

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<v Speaker 2>Blood Once You Donate It on housetiff works dot com,

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<v Speaker 2>written by Shelley Dancy. Brain Stuff is production of by

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<v Speaker 2>Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot com, and

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<v Speaker 2>it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 2>visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

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