# Why donate organs upon death but not blood? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236 "2005-06-28T17:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![onestr8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7bcc69/32.png) [@onestr8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onestr8)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/1 "2005-06-28T17:53:29Z")
Why do they not harvest the bloodfrom organ donors. If the organs are good, is it reasonable to suspect that the blood is too? This seems like it would be helpful in eliminating the blood shortages we always hear about. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/2 "2005-06-28T18:13:27Z")
Donated blood is generally needed for its red blood cells, due to the fact that they carry oxygen. The red cells tend to lyse, or dissolve, quite quickly (within minutes) after death sets in. The white blood cells also tend to start dumping all their various “attack” chemicals upon death too, rendering the morbid blood even more potentially toxic and less beneficial, hastening further red cell destruction. Whereas the organs remain viable for a number of hours. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/3 "2005-06-28T18:24:15Z")
In addition physiology, there are logistical considerations: Live blood doners pretty well keep up with the demand. These people can answer lots of questions about previous illnesses and risky behaviors prior to harvesting the blood. You put a call out on the news, and donors queue themselves up at a donation center where a couple of techs can handle them assembly line fashion. Contrast this to the teams that have to be assembled to harvest organs. Elective surgery would be an exception, but blood is often required with little or no warning. If someone needs blood, it would normally be pretty hard to keep them alive until a PM doner were available. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/4 "2005-06-28T20:07:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Whereas the organs remain viable for a number of hours. What’s done with the blood contained in the vessels of those donated organs? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/5 "2005-06-28T20:11:00Z")
I belive it’s flushed out before being taken to the receipeint. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/6 "2005-06-28T20:41:07Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > What’s done with the blood contained in the vessels of those donated organs? I believe that it’s used to make matzoh. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/7 "2005-06-28T21:10:13Z")
Only if the donors are Christian children. Cute ones, with blond hair and blue eyes and large tsalems around their necks. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/8 "2005-06-28T21:33:20Z")
Wouldn’t extraction be a problem too? I’m envisioning the new job title ‘Post mortem phlebectioner’. He/she has to squeeze _reeeeeeeealy_ hard. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![jim\_marren\_yahoo.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@jim\_marren\_yahoo.com](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jim_marren_yahoo.com)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/9 "2005-06-29T17:49:11Z")
after respiration stops the pH of blood changes rapidly, plus you start to get pooling of blood after the circulation stops reminds me of the old movie “Night of the Comet” ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-donate-organs-upon-death-but-not-blood/310236/10 "2005-06-29T18:48:16Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > What’s done with the blood contained in the vessels of those donated organs? Don’t know, but when we donated my mother’s organs she was still “alive” though on machines. She was hooked up to all sorts of machines keeping her blood moving so I’m guessing that the blood doesn’t just sit there for many organ donations. I wonder if they took her blood as well since they had to ask many of the same questions.