Appeal for blood donations at Kilcock clinic in Kildare

James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown  needed over 2000 units of blood in 2019, according to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service which is running a mobile clinic at Kilcock GAA sports centre on Tuesday, February 18.

The clinic runs from 16.30-20.00.

The Service (IBTS) has appealed to people to go and donate blood.

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It  said one in four people will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives. “Every day, patients in hospitals throughout Ireland require blood transfusions.  Sometimes it may be for a routine surgical procedure such as a hip operation. Other times it may be for someone recovering from a road traffic accident, major surgery such as a heart bypass or perhaps a transfusion is needed to enable a patient to tolerate the effects of cancer treatment.” 

 IBTS provides the blood and blood products needed in hospitals to help these patients.  Every week 3,000 donations are needed in Ireland.

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 It said  a coronary artery bypass may use between one  and five units of blood. A car victim may require up to 30 units of blood and a bleeding ulcer could require anything between 3 and 30 units of blood.  

An average adult has between 10 and 12 pints of blood.  A blood donation is just 470mls – less than one pint.

It said that  James Connolly Memorial Hospital, which serves many in Kildare,  required 2,118 units in 2019. For further details, please contact our lo-call Donor Information Line 1850 – 73 11 37 or Finbar Gethins, Area Manager at our Ardee Regional Office, 041 – 685 9994 or www.giveblood.ie