What is the PBSC Donation Process?
For four or five days before the PBSC donation, the donor is given an injection of a medication called Filgrastim to increase the number of stem cells released into the blood stream. After receiving the medication, peripheral blood stem cells can be collected through the process of apheresis. Donating PBSC is similar to donating platelets at a blood bank. The donor’s blood is removed through a sterile needle placed in a vein in one arm and passed through an apheresis machine that separates out the stem cells. The remaining blood, minus the stem cells, is returned to the donor through a sterile needle in the other arm.
