How is the donation collected?
Currently there are two ways a donor can donate. The choice will be dictated by the patient’s needs. Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation – Normally, the number of stem cells circulating in the blood is low. To increase the number of blood stem cells, a hormone-like substance called G-CSF is injected under the skin daily for 4 days prior to the procedure. The stem cells are then collected by a procedure called leukapheresis. During this procedure, a needle is inserted into a vein in your arm and your blood passes into a cell separator machine, which selectively removes the stem cells. The remaining blood components are immediately returned. This procedure is performed at a hospital or blood bank, does not require a general anaesthetic and takes approximately 3-4 hours. After the procedure you may leave but subsequent donations may be necessary if insufficient cell numbers were collected. This procedure is generally well tolerated but you may experience bone pain and some flu-like sympto
