National Blood Donor Month Q&A with Oliver Karam, MD, PhD

From my perspective as a pediatric intensivist and as a researcher in transfusion medicine, blood donation is a cornerstone of modern medicine. In critical care, we rely on blood products to help carry oxygen to the body, control bleeding, and stabilize patients during life-threatening illness or injury. Unlike many medications, blood cannot be manufactured. It must come from donors, and it has a limited shelf life. January is National Blood Donor Month because winter shortages are common, while the clinical need remains constant. Donating blood is one of the most direct ways to ensure that hospitals can deliver timely, lifesaving care.

Yes, blood transfusions are often needed in pediatric intensive care units (PICU). Children in the PICU may require red blood cells, platelets, or plasma for a wide range of conditions, including severe anemia, trauma, congenital heart disease, cancer, major surgery, liver transplantation, or extracorporeal life support. Critically ill children can deteriorate quickly, and when transfusion is needed, it is usually urgent. A reliable blood supply is essential to providing safe, high-quality pediatric critical care.

Absolutely! Some patients might only need one transfusion; others might need more than twenty. And a single blood donation can be separated into multiple components, each potentially helping a different patient. In pediatrics, where transfusion volumes are smaller, one donation may even support several children. From a research standpoint, we work to optimize transfusion practices, so blood products are used as safely and effectively as possible, but none of that is meaningful if blood is not available. One donation can truly be the difference between life and death, with an immediate and profound impact.

Yes! Yale sponsors many blood drives on campus and around New Haven, but they also happen nationwide. You can find one locally using the sponsor code “Yale” when you search for an appointment. If you're looking anywhere else in the United States, you can search by your local zip code. At your appointment, you'll complete a donor registration and be asked to show a donor card or other form of ID, like a driver's license. You'll then answer a private questionnaire about your health history and have a mini-physical where they check your temperature, hemoglobin, blood pressure, and pulse. Your actual blood donation should take about 10 minutes, then afterward, donors spend a few minutes enjoying some refreshments and snacks to allow your body time to adjust to the slight decrease in fluid volume. After 10-15 minutes you can then leave the donation site and continue with your normal daily activities, per the Red Cross.

According to the Red Cross, you must wait 8 weeks (56 days) between donations of whole blood. This waiting period gives your body time to replace the red blood cells you donated.