Recycle yourself: How blood banks began and how you can help them today

By Lisa Lightner

As many of us learned from biology class, ancient medicine and philosophy went hand in hand. Greek philosophers Hippocrates, Plato and Aristotle believed health was a balance of the body’s four “humours”: Sanguine (blood, produced by the liver), Choleric (yellow bile, produced by the spleen), Phlegmatic (phlegm, produced by the lungs) and Melancholic (black bile, produced by the gall bladder). Of these “humours,” blood was thought to be the most important as the “seat and source of the passions.”

In 1667, 40 years after the discovery of the circulatory system, Jean-Baptiste Denis was the first to use human blood to treat disease and trauma via a direct human blood transfusion in France. At that time donor-recipient blood type compatibility was not understood. Early direct donor-to-patient transfusions often produced disastrous results.

In 1901, German scientist Dr. Karl Landsteiner discovered that there were different blood groups. He found that all humans fall into one of these groups, which he categorized as A, B and O blood types. Hence, the conception of the ABO system, which explained why some transfusions worked and others failed. Today, every June 14, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated to commemorate Landsteiner’s birthday and this important discovery. In 1915, Richard Lewishon found that when added to freshly collected blood, sodium citrate prevented clotting (coagulation). This allowed blood collected from a donor to be stored for later transfusion to a patient.

The Cook County Hospital in Chicago, 1936, was the home of the first true blood bank. The first community-based blood center, the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank, was created in San Francisco in 1941. Over the next 10 years, many more were founded across the country. It was during World War II that blood banking really began to grow. Doctors began to recognize the effectiveness of transfusion therapy on the front lines and began to demand that blood be made available for their patients. The American Association of Blood Banks (now AABB) was organized in 1947 to “support and encourage continued blood research, promote exchange of scientific information and develop standards of practice for blood banks.”

Combined with inventions such as the plastic collection bag in 1953 and new technologies such as the ability to separate blood into platelets, plasma and red cells, the first half of the 20th century saw rapid advances in the mass collection and storage of blood. During this time, hospitals collected just enough blood needed for surgeries, emergencies and medical treatments. In addition to the numerous discoveries and scientific advances, progress toward an ample and sufficient blood supply occurred. The 1960s also saw improvements in testing, resulting in higher quality and increased safety of blood and blood components.

As modern medicine continued to advance and the demand for blood rose nationwide, so too did the need for community-based organizations to collect, store and distribute blood. In 1962, local hospitals, physicians, civic groups and a group of seven community-based blood centers came together to establish the America’s Blood Centers (ABC): “Medical expertise, customer service and a community-first blood banking philosophy are the founding principles of America’s Blood Centers.” In October 1968, the Lancaster County Medical Society responded to local needs by forming the Community Blood Bank (CBB). Over the past 40 years, the organization has grown from one collection site and two staff members to four collection sites and a blood drive program that conducts over 400 blood drives each year. The Community Blood Bank, now the Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB), currently provides blood to 12 area hospitals in six southeast Nebraska counties. While methods and testing have changed dramatically over the years—and continue to change today—there is still no synthetic substitution for blood or platelets. Volunteer blood donors are as much in demand today as they were in the early days of medicine.

The ultimate act of recycling: Donating blood

Volunteer blood donors are natural environmentalists, theoretically and literally, as stewards of the precious natural resource they possess: blood. Donating blood can be a great opportunity to practice the three Rs on a personal level. Reduce (the need for blood), Reuse (what you’ve got) and Recycle (what you can). Much like conventional recycling, it’s easy to do and can have far-reaching benefits.

“I donate for my brother because he had leukemia and needed a transfusion when he was 5,” explained Bruce, a platelet donor who comes every two weeks to Nebraska Community Blood Bank. “I like the cookies and juice they give you afterward, too,” he joked, while kicking back in a donor bed.

“Yeah, and we can watch ESPN,” added his friend, Mike, sitting next to him. “Bruce recruited me a few years back and we meet here after work and do the buddy system.” Both are donating platelets, which are a component of blood that is needed for clotting to occur. During a platelet donation, all but the platelets are returned. One unit of platelets collected automatically is the equivalent to platelets from five whole blood donations.

In the donor café, Sara enjoyed her cookies and juice while catching up on the paper. “My husband was in an accident and lost a lot of blood when we were first married. He was in the hospital for weeks,” she explained. “That’s how I learned about donating. We were so glad that other people did it when we needed it.”

Jennifer, a recent graduate, hit the one-gallon mark. “My high school had regular blood drives and I wanted to keep donating,” she said as she showed off her one-gallon pin. “My grandma would be so proud; I donate for her because she had breast cancer.”

Whole blood is the most common type of donation. The blood is separated into three of the main blood components: red cells (which carry oxygen), plasma (which carries nutrients) and platelets (for blood clotting). Jennifer donates one pint approximately every eight weeks and Sara is a “double” red cell donor, which means she donates two units of red cells every 16 weeks.

Those are just a few of the regular donors who volunteer an hour or two of their time to “recycle” themselves and save lives. Locally, over 1,000 donors a week are required to meet the needs of area hospitals. Summer months in particular are a challenge for blood centers because the number of donors often does not keep pace with the need for blood due to busy schedules and vacations. WasteCap Nebraska and the Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB) are working together to encourage WasteCap members to keep the blood supply steady this summer.

“We’ve come up with a unique campaign called ‘Recycle Yourself ’ that runs through Aug. 31 and includes weekly prize drawings,” said WasteCap Director, Carrie Hakencamp. “It’s a great way for our members to become involved in such an important community effort.”

According to NCBB blood drive recruiter Ashley Fleming, “Blood drives account for 30 percent of the blood collected. Our goal is to increase both the number of donors and companies participating in blood drives.”

When it comes to recycling, donating blood is one of the best things you can do in one hour.

The Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB), founded by the Lancaster County Medical Society, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For 40 years, its mission has been to collect, test and distribute quality blood products to hospitals and regional medical centers in southeast Nebraska and to others in need. As a member of America’s Blood Centers, North America’s largest network of community-based blood programs, the NCBB is recognized by the United States Congress for its critical work in patient care and disaster preparedness and response and is licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

More information about the Recycle Yourself campaign can be found at http://www.wastecapne.org. To find out if your company is one of the 28 WasteCap members who host blood drives or to set up a blood drive, contact your wellness committee or human resources department or call Ashley Fleming at (402) 486-9427. For more information about blood donation, visit http://www.don8bld.org.

About blood donation

You have 10 to 12 pints of blood, depending on body size.

Your cells begin to replenish within three to four weeks of a donation.

You can save up to three lives with just one donation.

As a member of the Metropolitan Medical Response System, the NCBB maintains an adequate inventory to handle 100 casualties within the first four hours following a catastrophic event.