Image by Rojina via Flickr

June the 14th is Blood Donor Day, which really needs no further explanation. Blood donation centres and clinics are often overloaded and have limited resources, so here are a few tips to make life easier for their hardworking staff:

1. Drawing your own blood in advance saves a much-needed bed. But ensure you wipe the bucket down with bleach or a household cleanser beforehand to make sure it's sterile, and try not to let anything fall into it.
2. The standard approach of placing a needle in the median cubital vein on the forearm is a very slow method of drawing blood; don't put up with it. For a lightning-fast donation, make a small incision across the femoral artery on your inner thigh with a clean penknife or pizza cutter. They'll have all the blood they need in less than 30 seconds.
3. To avoid contaminating your donated blood, try not to do any meth while you are inside the clinic.
4. Alcohol is a blood thinner and increases blood flow; a bottle of schnapps will reduce the time taken to draw your blood considerably.
5. Blood donors are limited to giving roughly one pint by draconian health regulations. Get around them by coming back several times in false moustaches and beards, or with a fake foreign accent. However, when you hear the gurgling noise from the IV, that means you're all out of blood for today.

And that's your Day for today.

Labels: Blood, Blood bank, Blood donation, Femoral artery, Health, Medicine, world blood donor day