by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations

I admit being a bit nervous the morning I arrived at MUSC Medical Center’s Red Cross Apheresis Donor Center. Although I tried to prepare for my visit by reading Red Cross brochures and other printed materials about platelet donations, I still felt apprehensive about actually going through it.

MUSC Apheresis Donor Center supervisor Leize-Ann Berry calculates and records the total yield of a recent platelet donation.

My fears were calmed after meeting the friendly clinic staff. I was greeted with a warm smile by clinic supervisor Tuesday Hartsfield. She explained the donation process, recorded vital signs and confirmed other donor information. Next, Hartsfield led me into the donor room and seated me in one of two large reclining chairs adjacent to apheresis machines.

Platelets are that portion of blood which controls bleeding by clotting and also helps preserve the strength of blood vessel walls. Seriously ill patients use a tremendous amount of platelets. Men, women and children undergoing treatment for cancer and leukemia need platelets after chemotherapy, and bone marrow and organ transplants. First opened in January 1998, the MUSC Apheresis Donor Center accomodates two platelet collecting units.

Prior to my actual donation, I was screened to determine my blood platelet count levels, which must meet a minimum 151,000 count average in order to donate. Luckily, my platelet count read a healthy 369,000, far more than what’s required.

Hartsfield, along with technician Deborah Willis-Shivers, were prepared for my visit. Hartsfield began by extracting and positioning tubing and equipment from a sterile apheresis donor tray. She cleaned and swabbed my right arm, the drawing arm, and inserted the needle tube. She did the same for my left arm which would carry a mixture of remaining blood, red cells and plasma back into my arm via return tube. After submitting specific information, Willis-Shivers punched a few buttons and the machine whirled to life. I was asked to squeeze a soft ball every few seconds to maintain the blood outflow to the apheresis machine. If not, a soft ‘ring’ would prompt me to squeeze the ball throughout the entire process.

Normally, apheresis takes about an hour or more, depending on each donor’s conditions. Donors are advised to remain still, yet comfortable throughout the process. Being prepared, I brought a movie to watch until the process was completed.

Sometime during that morning, I asked Hartsfield what prevents people from donating through apheresis. “There are lots of reasons,” she replies, referring to comments she's heard while working the past eight years with blood donations at the Southeast Regional Red Cross. “Besides, the idea of being stuck with an additional needle, people aren’t very receptive to being hooked up to a machine,” she said, referring to mistaken comparisons between apheresis and dialysis. Although donors accept the idea that they’re giving a donation, they’re not comfortable in getting something back according to Hartsfield.

Apheresis is a safe form of blood donation. This special machine, which contains a cell separator, is designed as a closed, safe device. All tubing and equipment are sterile and sealed to prevent contamination. Red Cross staff conduct the procedure, paying close attention to the donor and monitoring the machine.

My time on the machine took 51 minutes. This schedule is based upon a formula which combines my total platelet count and estimated product concentration yield or amount of blood drawn needed for a safe platelet donation. Incidentally, the maximum time donors may spend undergoing apheresis is usually one and a half hours.

Then, Hartsfield removed the needle tubing, replacing it with sterile gauze and a bandage. Following the procedure, she removed all disposable equipment and reached inside the unit to show me the final product.

What she withdrew both surprised and moved me, emotionally. Here was a plastic blood bag— half filled with a rich cloudy, golden mixture. It contained my actual blood platelets. Hartsfield pointed to a clear bag hanging by the machine unit. It was filled with my plasma, separated throughout the process. Next, my plasma was equally divided into two separate unit bags and filled with plasma which helps to preserve it at room temperature for up to five days. It would immediately be transported in specially packed containers to Savannah for final lab assessments and then area distribution, as needed.

I was told my single donation of platelets will provide one therapeutic treatment for a recovering patient. It’s interesting to consider its profound, singular affect compared to a collection of whole blood donations. It would take six to eight units of whole blood, processed and separated, to equal the amount of platelets of one apheresis donation. Although a single donation removes fewer than five percent of a donor’s platelets, the body responds quickly in replenishing its supply. That’s why apheresis donors can give frequently, usually every 72 hours, but no more than 24 times within a year.

The experience wasn’t difficult. It wasn’t painful or uncomfortable. It just required a little of my time, patience and will to give. In this holiday season of joy and giving, the act of platelet donations can be one gift that brings hope and life to others in their time of need.

MUSC Red Cross Apheresis Donor Center Holiday Hours:

9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 22, 29 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dec. 23, 30 Closed, Dec. 24 8 a.m. to noon, Dec. 31 Normal Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays To make an appointment, call 792-3340