Who Needs Platelets?
Many lifesaving medical treatments require platelet transfusions. Cancer patients, those receiving organ or bone marrow transplants, victims of traumatic injuries, and patients undergoing open heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive. Because platelets can be stored for only five days, the need for platelet donations is vast and continuous. Platelet transfusions are needed each year by thousands of patients like these: • Heart surgery patient 6 units • Burn patient 20 units • Organ transplant patient 30 units • Bone marrow transplant patient 120 units Who Can be an Apheresis Donor? If you meet the requirements for donating blood, you probably can give platelets. Apheresis donors must: • be at least 18 years old • be in good health • weigh at least 120 pounds • not have taken aspirin, products containing aspirin or feldene within, 72 hours prior to donation. How Does the Procedure Work? Blood is drawn from your arm through sterile tubing into a bowl spinning in a centrifug
