Produced in the bone marrow, blood is typically collected in what is called "whole blood" and then separated into its three unique components, each delivering a life-saving benefit to someone in need:
Platelets
Platelets constitute a small percentage of total blood volume.
| What do they do? | Control bleeding |
| Whose lives are saved? | Leukemia and cancer patients, cardiac surgery patients, burn victims, organ and bone marrow transplant recipients, and people with bleeding disorders. |
Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells make up approximately 45% of blood volume. A few drops of whole blood contain about one billion red blood cells.
| What do they do? | Carry oxygen throughout the body. |
| Whose lives are saved? | Premature infants, trauma victims, surgical patients, people battling cancer, sickle cell, kidney disease, and anemia. |
Plasma
Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins, and salts that constitutes 55% of blood volume.
What does it do? | Promotes clotting. |
Whose lives are saved? | Burn victims, cardiac surgery patients, liver transplant recipients, and patients suffering from shock or bleeding and immune disorders |