The Stanford Blood Center issued an urgent appeal for donors who have type O negative blood because a heart-transplant operation at Stanford Hospital depleted their supply Tuesday.

Not having some reserve could endanger the lives of neonatal patients. Normally a reserve of about half the normal supply is kept on hand, according to spokesperson Michele Hyndman.

"Currently, the Blood Center has no units of O negative on its shelves," Hyndman said of the crisis. Unusually high demand generally lowered supplies, and the heart transplant used up the rest.

The blood center "was able to meet the needs of current patients but our critical need for O negative blood prevents us from being able to respond to the next emergency," Hyndman said. "We have exhausted our list of donors with phone calls and e-mails and need people in the public to respond this week to get us through this crisis."

Normally about half of the center's supply of O negative blood is designated for neonatal patients, she said. The remainder is used for emergency and O negative patients. (O negative is the universal blood type and can be given to anyone in an emergency.)

The blood center is also below minimum inventory in types O positive, A negative, A positive, B negative and AB negative, Hyndman said. The center has locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View and eligible persons are asked to donate to replenish supplies, Hyndman said.

Donors may call (650) 723-7831 or toll free (888) 723-7831 to make an appointment and get directions. Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They should eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification.

Donating takes about an hour. For more information or to schedule an appointment online, visit bloodcenter.stanford.edu.

— Palo Alto Weekly

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