Individuals who want to donate whole blood or apheresis must be : At least 16 years old (donors under the age of 17 may only donate whole blood, and must have a signed parental/guardian consent form). At least 19 years old and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds.
Your heart handles blood in much the same way. The heart pumps about 2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of blood a day through its chambers. Of Â­course, we're not big enough to hold that much liquid, so it just pumps the same blood over and over, and it doesn't benefit from a drop of it. At least, not initially.
The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood to all the tissues in your body through a network of blood vessels. The right side of the heart pumps blood through the lungs where it picks up oxygen. The left side of the heart receives the blood containing oxygen and pumps the blood to the rest of your body. Your heart has four chambers and four valves that regulate blood flow: Left and right atria. Left and right ventricles.