The foods that help make blood are red meats such as beef and liver and fish, poultry and shellfish.
Foods high in iron also help the body make blood which include bread, iron fortified cereal, raisins, prunes, dried fruits, spinach, dark green leafy vegetables, tofu, beans, lentils and peas.
The body makes new blood at a rate of 2 million new red blood cells every second.
And it takes around 4 to 8 weeks for the body to build up stores of blood and red blood cells again.
The body makes between 400 to 2,000 milliliters of blood per day and in an average lifetime the body makes 34,400 liters of blood in a lifetime.
The minimum blood level in the human body is between 14.0 grams per deciliter and 17.5 grams per deciliter.
Normal hemoglobin levels are different for men and women.
For men, a normal level ranges between 14.0 grams per deciliter (gm/dL) and 17.5 gm/dL.
For women, a normal level ranges between 12.3 gm/dL and 15.3 gm/dL.
A severe low hemoglobin level for men is 13.5 gm/dL or lower.
If you lose 2 liters of blood you can go into shock and your pulse can be undetectable as your body shuts down.
Also when you lose 2 liters of blood or more it can lead to loss of consciousness and your breathing and heart will eventually stop when you lose too much blood and don't get a blood transfusion.
Losing 2 or more liters of blood is a Class IV hemorrhage which is the most severe classification, and what is known as a “preterminal event” — one that will likely kill a patient without immediate intervention.
A person can lose up to 14 percent of their blood volume without any physical symptoms or changes in their vital signs and in a healthy adult there's an average of 4.5 to 5.5 liters of blood.
A person can lose around 0.77 liters of blood without much issue.
You can lose between 4 to 5 pints of blood before you pass out although some people may pass out when they lose 3 pints or less.
An average adult has 10 pints of blood and if you lose around a fifth of your blood volume it can lead to the person going into shock and the body shutting down.
Significant blood loss is when you lose 30 to 40 percent of your total blood volume.
When you lose that amount of blood your blood pressure will drop down and your heart rate will also increase and you may show signs of disorientation and confusion.
When you do have significant blood loss you most often do require a blood transfusion.
The signs that you need a blood transfusion are low blood cell count, bleeding disorders, blood loss after childbirth or blood loss after a severe cut or car crash or other accident, surgery that caused blood loss or a liver problem which makes the body unable to create certain blood parts.
Conditions that require blood transfusions are hemophilia or other bleeding disorders, blood loss due to cuts or crashes, kidney failure, cancer such as leukemia cancer or other blood cancers, low blood counts.
Getting a blood transfusion can be pretty serious although complications and death from blood transfusions are very rare.
Most people who do get blood transfusions come out of it just fine with no problems or complications.
Blood transfusions can cause problems later in life such as infection and malignancy, renal failure, stroke and an increased risk of death.
The problems listed from blood transfusions showing up later in life are rare though.
After you get a blood transfusion you will usually be taken to a recovery room in the hospital and stay in the hospital for 2 to 4 hours.
This time allows you to recover and rest and then after that if you have no other health issues then you'll be discharged from the hospital and recover fully at home.
After the blood transfusion you may feel tired and fatigued and you might get hives, itching and fever.
Most people will feel better within 48 hours following the blood transfusion.
You are most often tired after a blood transfusion for at least 24 to 48 hours following the blood transfusion so you should have someone drive you home after the blood transfusion and you should rest for at least the first 24 hours to 48 hours following the blood transfusion.
After a blood transfusion you may feel tired, weak or fatigued and you may have some symptoms such as a rash or mild itching.
In some cases you may experience trouble breathing, nausea or chest pain and the symptoms usually start soon after the blood transfusion or within 24 hours after the blood transfusion.
Most people who had a blood transfusion begin to feel better within 24 hours.
The time it takes to recover from a blood transfusion is between 24 hours to 48 hours.
After the blood transfusion you should rest for the first 24 to 48 hours and you will also need to schedule a follow up doctors visit after the blood transfusion.
You are awake during a blood transfusion as the blood transfusion simply works similar to an IV where a needle is inserted into your vein and the blood from the blood transfusion bag then gets flowing into your body.
The main reason for a blood transfusion is because of a loss of blood such as from serious cuts, car crashes, natural disasters etc.
Other things that can cause you to need a blood transfusion other than loss of blood from bleeding are health issues such as kidney disease, leukemia or other blood cancers or low blood counts.
The most common complication of a blood transfusion are adverse reactions such as urticaria, chills and fever.
The most significant reactions of a blood transfusion are acute and delayed haemolytic transfusion reactions and bacterial contamination of blood products.
The amount of blood in a unit of blood is 500 mL.
2 units of blood is 1,000 mL of blood.
More than 4 units of blood or packed red blood cells in an hour is considered massive blood transfusion's as well as more than 10 units of blood in 24 hours is also considered a lot.
A single unit of blood can take between 2 to 3 hours to be given.
At most, it'll take 4 hours.
This will depend on how much blood is needed.
A blood transfusion does not always require a hospital stay and most times you can go home within 4 to 5 hours after the blood transfusion.
In rare cases you may need to stay in the hospital overnight after a blood transfusion but most people who had a blood tranfusion go home the same day.
The tests that are done before a blood transfusion are RhD and ABO typing of your red blood cells and also an antibody screening with your plasma.
You should rest for at least 24 hours to 48 hours after a blood transfusion and you will also need to schedule a follow up visit with your doctor after the blood transfusion.
Your blood type cannot and will not change after a blood transfusion because when you need a blood transfusion they will only use blood that is compatible with your blood type for the transfusion.
Blood transfusions can damage the kidneys in rare cases as red blood cell transfusion enhances the risk of developing acute kidney injury.
Blood transfusion is given to treat low red blood cell count, also called anemia.
Kidney failure is an important cause of anemia.
If your blood count is too low, despite giving you iron replacement and the erythropoietin (EPO) hormone e.g. Aranesp, you may need a transfusion.
A blood transfusion bag contains around 300 to 320 ml of blood.
A blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into one's circulation intravenously.
Blood Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood.
Blood transfusions are generally considered safe, but there is some risk of complications.
Mild complications and rarely severe ones can occur during the transfusion or several days or more after.