Blood Transfusion service welcome 411 donors to clinics

THE Irish Blood Transfusion Service would like to thank all of the 411 donors who attended the recently held clinic in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, & Clan Na Gaels GAA Centre in Dundalk.

A breakdown of the total figures show that 48 first time donors and 29 former donors attended the clinic.

One in four people will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives. Every day, patients in hospitals throughout Ireland require blood transfusions. Sometimes it may be for a routine surgical procedure such as a hip operation. Other times it may be for someone recovering from a road traffic accident, major surgery such as a heart bypass or perhaps a transfusion is needed to enable a patient to tolerate the effects of cancer treatment. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) provides the blood and blood products needed in hospitals to help these patients. Every week 3,000 donations are needed in Ireland. A coronary artery bypass may use between 1 and 5 units of blood. A car victim may require up to 30 units of blood, a bleeding ulcer could require anything between 3 and 30 units of blood. An average adult has between 10 and 12 pints of blood. A blood donation is just 470mls – less than one pint. Please remember that Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda required 2,711 units in 2017

‘Finally on behalf of all the patients in hospital who benefit from your generosity and a heartfelt thank you to all who attended or helped with our Dundalk Clinic in any way,’ said a spokesperson for the IBTS.