Just over 7,000 blood donationsaround 7,400 more and about 320 plasma, seeks to account for the Center of Transfusion, Tissues and Cells (CTTC) of Cordova during the summer months, from July to September, to be able to respond to the demands made by the province’s hospitals and also those that may be requested by the Andalusian Transfusion Network. The coordinator of the mobile teams of the Córdoba Transfusion Center, the Dr. Pedro de Torresindicates that they hope “to be able to register about 2,400 blood donations and more than 110 plasma donations in July; another 2,400 blood donations and 105 plasma donations in August and reaching 2,500 blood donations and 105 plasma donations in September.
De Torres points out that, to achieve these objectives, the CTTC, in collaboration with the brotherhood of donors, has contemplated carry out 128 collections in summer: 46 in July, 42 in August and 40 in September (128 in total). In the remainder of June and the entire month of July, the mobile equipment and the donation bus They are going to visit numerous towns in Cordoba, among which are some more populated ones such as Montilla, La Carlota, Lucena either Pozoblanco. The list of each of these outings can be consulted in the collections section of thedonorscordoba.org website.
Information of interest
In addition, De Torres highlights that throughout the summer it is also possible to donate blood at the Transfusion Center headquarters, which is located on San Alberto Magno Avenue, next to the Reina Sofia University Hospitalfrom 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.from Monday to Saturday, with the center closed in the afternoon in the summer months.
Blood donation, in file image.
He CTTC of Córdoba has recorded 13,176 blood donations since January until now, plus 530 donations of plasma and 37 of platelets, managing to recruit 1,029 new blood donors and registering 79 people in the Bone Marrow Donor Registry. These donations were counted by adding the extractions registered at the Transfusion Center headquarters and the 232 organized collections, of which 29 on the donation bus (12%) and the remaining 203 (88%) on towns, neighborhoods, companies and other enclaves.
The blood cannot be manufacturedso the only way to get it is through donation. A 30% of reserves are used for the treatment of cancer or hematological diseases; a twenty%, to the boarding of anemias; almost another 20% to operations, burns or transplants; more than a 10% to care for heart diseases, gastric or renal; about him 8% to accident care and traumas; a 8% to orthopedic patientsfractures and joint replacements and the remaining 4%, to births and cesarean sections.
The requirements to donate blood They are being between 18 and 65 years old, weighing 50 kilos or more and being in good general health. Pregnant women cannot donate.
Pedro de Torres remembers that the summer campaign is always “more complicated” because many residents in Córdoba go away on vacation and record high temperaturesbut urges the population to find a little time to donate, since as it emphasizes during these months the operations do not stop being carried out, medical treatments that require these blood components continue to be provided, transplants are carried out, accidents occur and a high number of people will require a blood transfusionreasons why the transfusion network needs to be adequately supplied.
Collaboration
This CTTC official also highlights the important work carried out by educational centers and brotherhoods of Easter to encourage blood donation and so that new donors emerge with whom to relieve people who, for reasons of age or other reasons, have to stop contributing their solidarity in this area. In recent months, special blood donation campaigns have been held in schools and institutes, such as El Carmen, Séneca, López Neyra, French, Cervantes, Ramón y Cajal, Galileo Galilei, Lope de Vega, Fuensanta, Medac; faculties of the University of Cordoba o Loyola Andalusiaas well as with the brotherhoods of Peace, Hope or Christ of Love, as well as in hospitals Queen Sofía, QuirónHealth, Cajasol FoundationMilitary Base of Muriano Hill or Deputation.
This 49 years old from Cordobastarted donating plasma in 2008because before he had gone to donate blood, but at the Transfusion Center they advised him that it was better to donate only plasma, because he had a low red blood cell concentration. When plasma is donated, the rest of the blood components are returned to the body, this is what is known as plasmapheresis. “I would encourage all healthy people to donate blood and that they are not afraid of the needle or the prick. In my case, since what I donate is plasma, I can go to the Transfusion Center more than 3 times a year, which are the occasions when women can donate blood annually. My body asks me to donate, it’s about sharing something that can help many people who, due to illness or other reasons, need a transfusion,” says Esperanza, who accumulates so far more than 90 plasma donations. This supportive woman from Córdoba believes that healthy people should become aware “that sometimes we may need a blood donation, so if we can help donate it, it is in our hands, since hospitals need sufficient reserves and the sick need their treatments.
