Align-ju HEALTH MATTERS
How to save a life in an hour
Veterinary nurse Sophie Booth shares the story of how the kindness of a stranger saved her life and explains why it is so important to give blood .
As veterinary professionals , we understand the importance of blood products to critically ill patients . Blood is usually readily available from our local Pet Blood Bank , or via a quick phone call to a client whose pet is on the practice ' s donor list . Blood donations regularly save the lives of animals [ 1 ] and are just as vital in human medicine . But have you ever thought about how human blood stocks are sourced , accessed and maintained ? I found myself asking this very question following four life-saving blood transfusions in 2022 .
Life-changing experience
It ' s difficult to describe how I felt when receiving a blood transfusion . It was surreal , like it wasn ' t really happening , and scary because I knew the risks of receiving a transfusion , especially when I was already so unwell . But the overriding feeling was , and still is , gratitude : to the stranger who gave their time and blood to help another stranger , and to the volunteers all over the country who collect and transport blood donations . I was fortunate to have had access to the blood I needed , but this isn ' t the case for everyone , so more donations are required . This experience prompted me to share my story so others can see the life-changing impact of a blood donation .
Blood crisis
In October 2022 , NHS Blood and Transplant ( NHSBT ) issued an amber alert for blood stocks across England [ 2 ] , meaning that there was only a 2-day supply and a huge drive was needed to increase donations [ 2 ] .
Medical professionals had to make difficult decisions about who most needed blood products and prioritise transfusions accordingly . Hip replacements and other routine surgeries were cancelled , adding to backlogs in the NHS [ 2 ] . Staff were also assigned from elsewhere to assist in donation centres to increase appointment capacity [ 2 ] . It took nearly 4 weeks of usage restrictions in the health service , plus extra donations , before normal supply levels were reached [ 3 ] .
NHSBT aims to have blood stocks to support 6 days ' supply , and often there is more stock of some blood types than others . To grow and diversify the donor base , over 150,000 new donors are needed each year [ 3 ] . Blood products are not needed just for major bloodloss incidents or emergency surgery [ 1 ] ; they are also required for patients with blood disorders and cancer , and for use in routine surgeries and other medical circumstances , so demand is consistently high .
Volume 38 ( 4 ) • August 2023
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