Versiti - Be a Whole Blood Hero | Learn About Blood Donation
 

Be a Whole Blood Hero

Imagine the impact of your low titer O positive whole blood donation for trauma patients with massive bleeding.

Imagine an emergency. The trauma team arrives. Your special blood donation of Low Titer O Positive Whole Blood increases the survival rate.

 

Or imagine it was you.  You’re out and about on a typical day running errands, picking up your child, or visiting a friend. As you’re driving down the highway, you are hit head on by an inattentive driver and you lose consciousness.

Another driver calls 911 and emergency services arrive. Their first priority is to stop the bleeding so you can be stabilized and transported by ambulance. While enroute to the hospital, the emergency team provides you with lifesaving whole blood to replace the blood you’ve lost, plus oxygen-rich red blood cells, platelets, and plasma to stop the hemorrhaging – all of which prevents you from going into shock.

By receiving this transfusion in the field, your chance of survival is significantly increased. What would have happened without that special, lifesaving blood transfusion?

What is Low Titer O Positive Whole Blood?

Low Titer O Positive Whole Blood (LTOWB) is a special whole blood treatment that is primarily utilized at the scene of a trauma to improve patient outcomes and recovery. It provides all the components of blood: red blood cells, platelets, and plasma; in one powerful package. Mortality rates decrease dramatically when this product is administered by first responders, both in and out of hospitals.

 

Whole Blood Heroes Save Lives!

 

What is Versiti's Whole Blood Heroes?

Versiti’s Whole Blood Heroes help massively bleeding patients in their communities such as those enduring trauma, by providing a unique donation of Low Titer O Positive Whole Blood that has shown an increased ability to save lives.

Be an MVP by donating three!

The Whole Blood Heroes program is a community of blood donors committed to donating LTOWB three times annually to help serve our local hospital partners. Low titer donors are an elite group of type O positive donors with low levels of certain antibodies in their blood. Because not all individuals can give a LTOWB donation, we rely on the members of Whole Blood Heroes to be our champions in this effort to better serve and inspire our patients and communities.

Eligibility

  • Currently, Whole Blood Heroes is available to male type O positive donors, as men typically have lower levels of certain antibodies in their blood as compared to women.
  • In addition, donors should not use aspirin or platelet-enhancing medications or be taking an anticoagulant treatment.
 

Every day, patients in your community need blood transfusions to survive and thrive. They rely on the generosity of donors like you, who help ensure a safe, healthy blood supply. Make an appointment to donate blood today.

Explore donation opportunities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

 
Blood Donation Locations
Find a Versiti blood donation center and search for a blood drive near you. Make an appointment to donate blood today.
 
Host A Blood Drive
Blood drive organizations save lives. Learn how to host a blood drive in your community with Versiti.
 
Types of Donations
Volunteer to donate blood at a blood donation center near you. Find out how often you can donate blood and make an appointment to donate today.

Each Low Titer O Positive Whole Blood (LTOWB) donation is tested to ensure that it meets all the requirements of the product. On occasion, we discover that the current donation exceeds the level, or titer, of anti-A and anti-B antigen, which means that the unit is no longer eligible to be used as LTOWB.

Should this happen, the donation can still be used for other purposes – either general whole blood or further manufactured into components such as red cells. Versiti’s current practice is that if a donation should exceed the low titer level, the donor will no longer be eligible for a LTOWB and, because O positive blood is so important for supporting a broad spectrum of patients, the donor will be encouraged to donate red blood cells instead.

Eligibility to donate LTOWB is based on the following criteria: male, type O positive, tests under a certain threshold for anti-A and anti-B antibodies, is not on an aspirin regimen, is not taking platelet-enhancing medications, and not currently taking anticoagulants.

The blood most needed to help trauma patients is type O positive whole blood which has been tested for low levels of certain antibodies making it safe for use with patients of any blood type during trauma or other emergency situations. This whole blood is able to be transfused very quickly, often at the site of an emergency event, and carries with it all the critical oxygenation and clotting properties to help support a patient while hemorrhaging.

By agreeing to participate, you are committing to saving lives of those in our communities who are enduring trauma or other massive hemorrhagic events through 3 or more LTOWB donations per year.

By joining us, you will receive quarterly communications featuring messages from those on the front lines serving patients and stories about patients who received this lifesaving product. You will also receive a commemorative coin demonstrating your commitment to saving lives through Whole Blood Heroes. Lastly, you will receive an invitation to an exclusive Whole Blood Heroes event/webinar where you will hear about the lives saved during the year while we recognize those donors who made the program possible.

To build a community of generous donors who will provide LTOWB in order to serve the needs of civilians in our communities who are undergoing trauma.

Men tend to have lower levels of antibodies in their blood than women. This helps to prevent reactions in patients who receive a transfusion. Low Titer O Positive Whole Blood can be received by almost any patient. This is important because during emergency situations there is no time to test a patient’s blood type for compatibility.

Military research has demonstrated that by providing whole blood, which contains clotting factors and oxygen-carrying red cells, to bleeding patients early in the process greatly reduces mortality and improves patient outcomes.

There will be no change in the donation process from the current whole blood donation process.

 
Beacon Club Loyalty Program
Blood donors of all blood types and blood drive hosts earn rewards in Versiti’s blood center loyalty club. Donate blood or host a blood drive for rewards.
 
Importance of Diverse Donors
Diverse blood donations improve blood transfusion outcomes for sickle cell patients and diverse blood recipients. Make an appointment to donate blood.
 
O Blood Type
Are you type O+ or O-? Learn the facts about what makes your blood type special!
 
Where to Donate Blood Near You
There are may options where you can make your blood, platelet, or plasma donation. Your donations provide hospitals in your community with precious blood products that patients desparately need.