BLOOD SUPPLIES LISTED AS CRITICAL FOR INJURIES
Blood supplies listed as critical for injuries
City Hospital’s Administrative Laboratory Manager John Roush shows shelves empty of blood. Regional hospitals are in need of blood donation for the summer. MARTINSBURG — Just one patient with a traumatic injury or critical need is all it might take to deplete the supply of O negative blood from West Virginia University Hospitals-East’s City Hospital. Cindy McDonald, a medical technologist at City Hospital, eyed a bulletin board listing the amounts available of each type of blood on Tuesday. Only four units of O negative remained stocked — about half the minimum amount preferred in the lab.“Those four can go so quickly,” McDonald said.The health care facility is just one of many in the Greater Alleghenies Region of the American Red Cross currently facing a dwindling supply of blood. Less than a one-day supply of O negative blood — the type that can be accepted by all patients, but only occurs in 7 percent of the population — is available for the region, according to a daily blood inventory report. On June 11, Julie Shiben, donor resources field representative for the American Red Cross, notified hospitals throughout the region of the severity of the current blood supply situation. Types O positive, A positive, O negative, A negative, B negative and AB negative are all listed at critical need levels, while types B positive and AB positive are experiencing urgent levels of need. Blood banks are currently preparing to go into their toughest time of the year, especially with July looming. Families celebrate holidays and go on vacations. High schools and universities, which the Red Cross relies heavily on for donations, adjourn for the summer. In the mix of things, blood drives can get forgotten.“If donors don’t support (the Red Cross) this is what we’re faced with,” Shiben said. “Every type is critical right now.”Since donated blood needs to be sent to Johnstown, Pa., for a battery of tests over the course of one or two days before it can be sent to hospitals for use, areas throughout the region must begin preparing now for the July 4 holiday. “We know we need to have an amazing week next week,” Shiben said. “We’re counting on Berkeley County.”While City Hospital has not had to cancel any surgeries because of the low supply and remains optimistic that they won’t be forced to take such measures, the need for blood and its components still exists, said John Roush, administrative laboratory manager.“We need everybody to get out and donate,” he said. Donors are eligible to give blood once every 56 days, said Shiben, who advises donors to eat a good breakfast and drink plenty of fluids on the day they plan to give blood. They should also bring their ID along when they donate. Low iron levels are the most common reason for donor deferrals, she said. Taking a multivitamin with iron, along with avoiding caffeine and dairy products for a few days prior to the planned donation date can help. Taking a multivitamin with vitamin C also increases iron absorbtion, Shiben said. Potential donors can visit www.redcrosslife.org for more information or to find a blood drive. “It’s definitely a life-saving thing,” Shiben said.
