How Much Blood Is Needed? A Look At How Blood Units Are Used

We often hear how one blood donation can save up to three lives, and theoretically that is correct. But do you know how the blood you give is used? The amount of blood needed for certain surgeries and medical procedures can be staggering. In this blog post, we’ll dive into some examples of how blood is used for different medical circumstances.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. If you are involved in a car or motorcycle accident, you may require up to 100 pints of blood! Surgeries and trauma situations in the emergency rooms of hospitals all over the country require that thousands of donors are donating to keep blood unit supplies up. Until suitable blood substitutes are developed, we really do rely on the precious donations of our lifesaving blood donors.

With fewer and fewer people donating blood these days, it is more important than ever to understand how donations are used specifically. At least we think so!

How Your Blood Donations Are Used

Let’s take the time to look at some different scenarios in which blood is used to save lives. Here is a breakdown courtesy of the ARUP Blood Services!