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Maureen MacKay, RN, prepares donor Susan Logan for a platelet donation.

A month after Harry Todtman, 57, underwent surgery for colorectal cancer, he began hemorrhaging profusely and was rushed to the emergency room, where he remained in critical condition for nearly a week.

After a massive amount of blood was pumped into his system, he was sent home, only to begin hemorrhaging a few days later. This time, blood was pumped in via three arteries so he could receive it fast enough. This is when Todtman figured he would die. The doctors couldn't stop the bleeding and had to put him on ice to slow it down. After an additional surgery and two more weeks in the hospital, he stabilized. Within that three-week period, Todtman required 41 units of blood.

"The doctors told me it was very rare to need that much blood," he said. "That blood saved my life."

Todtman's story is a prime example of how quickly blood can be needed in an emergency setting. While this awakened Todtman to the concept of donating blood, far too often it is a traumatic event that motivates people to give blood.

"I had never been ill before then and I took my health for granted," Todtman admitted. "Until it happens to you, you don't think it will, but that's not how it works."

It's been months since his ordeal and Todtman is still undergoing chemotherapy, which prohibits him from giving blood. But his girlfriend has become very active in promoting blood drives at Temple Israel as well as donating blood herself.

In terms of average pints of blooded needed each year per capita, Memphis is the second largest medical district in the United States, which means the need for blood donors is constant. This is also the time of year when blood is just beginning to recover from the typical 25 percent holiday decrease in donation rates. The decline begins around Thanksgiving and doesn't pick back up until mid-January.

"We need people to think about donating whole blood during the holiday season," said hematologist Dr. Edward P. Scott, CEO of Mid-South Regional Blood Center. "We have to work with other communities who collect more than they need. If the weather is bad in those areas, we can be negatively impacted. They have to take care of their needs first. We are always their secondary market."

Some 100,000 pints of blood are used per year in Memphis. Local hospitals rely on other cities such as Denver and Houston to supply half that amount.

"There is no other source of blood components than human donors," Scott said. "We need a steady supply of red blood and platelet donors. If we go a day or two without collections, then we're unable to keep platelets."

Red blood cells, which make up the majority of needed supply, keep for 42 days. Platelets, typically used for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, only have a shelf life of five days. When whole blood is extracted, the individual components of red blood cells, platelets and plasma are separated in the lab.

A basic whole blood donation takes about half an hour and donors can only donate whole blood every six weeks. With platelets, a process known as apheresis allows technicians to collect only the component of blood they need while transfusing the remaining blood back to the donor. While the process takes up to two hours, in one sitting it supplies enough platelets to equal the amount found in eight to 16 whole blood donations. Plus, platelet donations can be made weekly.

"There is a big push during the last weeks of the calendar year to get procedures done either for personal or insurance reasons," explained Scott. "In January, those who've put off elective surgery until the new year pick back up."

This mismatch occurs without fail. Physicians have the perfect opportunity during and after the holiday season, Scott said, to educate patients and their families about the need for donating blood, especially those who have a surgery scheduled. In fact, preliminary results of a study with the Methodist Healthcare system demonstrated that more patients and their families donated blood after physicians explained its importance to the community.

"Doctors have authority and if providers can remember this is a time of greater need and lesser supply," asserted Scott, "they can encourage patients and their families to donate blood."






January 2007

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