By separating the components, blood could safely be frozen and stored for later use. Prior to this, blood transfusions needed to be given to the patient directly from the donor when in the hospital.
While most donations today are used within a few days, blood centers still separate blood donations into components. Modern medicine has discovered that certain injuries and illnesses can be treated best using specific blood components, such as platelets, plasma, or red blood cells.
Because of this, your individual blood donation could save up to three lives.
Most of us think of red blood cells when we think of donations; red blood cells are critical for trauma victims and surgery patients, but platelets are important for those undergoing cancer treatment or with weak immune systems. And plasma has clotting power so it is often used to treat burn and trauma victims.
Many of us don’t realize that our blood type gives certain components of our blood power. An O- donor is the universal donor for red blood cells, but an AB donor is the universal donor for plasma. By targeting your type, you can maximize the power of your blood.