Blood Types
O-, O+
Patients with any blood type can receive O negative blood. Type O blood is required and must be available in inventory for newborn babies and emergency patients. O+ is the most frequently occurring blood type and is found in 37 percent of the population. O- is found in six percent of the population.
A+
This blood is the second most frequently occurring blood type. Thirty-four of every 100 people have A+.
A-, B+, B-
These are rare blood types and less than 10 percent of the population have this blood type.
AB+
This blood type is acknowledged to be the “universal recipient” because AB+ people can accept red blood cells from any other blood type. In the United States, less than four percent have this type of blood.
AB-
This is the least common blood type in America because less than 1% of the population in the United States have AB negative blood. Patients who have AB negative blood can receive red blood cells from all negative blood types.
Facts About Blood
- Anyone in good health, at least 17 years old, and at least 110 pounds may donate blood every 56 days, or every two months.
- Each year more than 4.5 million lives are saved by blood transfusions.
- About one in five people admitted to the hospital will need blood.
- Up to three: the number of patients that can be treated with one pint of donated blood.
- There is no substitute for human blood.
- 50 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood -- only 5 percent do.
- Cancer, trauma patients, and those undergoing open-heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive.
- Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight.
- A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his body.
- The actual blood donation usually takes less than 15 minutes. The entire process -- from the time you sign in to the time you leave -- takes about an hour.
- You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
- Thirteen tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.