Blood donation Facts for Kids

Bloodletting was the name for a medical practice which affected the health of the person.

A member of the US Navy donates blood.

The pictogram for blood donation

Blood donation is when a person voluntarily gives blood, which can be used for blood transfusions or to make certain drugs. Blood banks store this blood. The blood can be used to help the victims of accidents, for example. Usually, the blood donor and the donated blood are tested for diseases which spread through the blood. Usually a series of questions also need to be answered to make sure that there is no risk to the person donating.

A special case of blood donation sometimes occurs before a medical operation that is dangerous. People donate their own blood, which can be used after the operation if they lose too much blood.

Images for kids

Blood donation center at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland. From left to right: Two cell separators for apheresis, secluded office for pre-donation blood pressure measurement and blood count, and on the right, chairs for whole blood donations.
A blood collection bus (bloodmobile) from Japanese Red Cross at Myōdani Station in Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
A patient's health screening report given after a blood donation.
A donor's arm at various stages of donation. The two photographs on the left show a blood pressure cuff being used as a tourniquet.
A mechanical tray agitates the bag to mix the blood with anticoagulants and prevent clotting.
Platelets collected by using apheresis at an American Red Cross donation center.
A relatively large needle is used for blood donations.
Bruising three days after donation
Whole blood is often separated, using a centrifuge, into components for storage and transportation
UK awards for 50, 25 and 100 donations
Ruby award from the Singapore Red Cross for 75 voluntary donations
Monument to blood donors in Ávila, Spain

Blood donation facts for kids

Images for kids

See also