Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center

A Special Type of Lifesaver - an Apheresis Donor

Why be an apheresis donor?

Many patients including cancer and heart surgery patients, can't produce enough platelets to stop bleeding or white blood cells to fight infection.  These blood parts are essential for life.  An apheresis donor can help to give these critically ill patients another chance at life.

What is apheresis?

(a - fur - e' - sis)

Unlike a "whole blood" donation in which a unit of whole blood is removed from your body, the apheresis process connects you to a machine that removes only one or two components from your blood, and then returns the rest of the blood back to you.

It takes about one and a half hours for platelet apheresis and two and a half hours for white cell apheresis.  Donations can be done every 2 weeks.

The collection process is absolutely sterile so the risk to you, the donor, is no greater than when you donate a unit of whole blood.

Who can be a special donor?

Apheresis donors must meet the following requirements:

• must be at least 17 years of age.

• weight must be at least 110 pounds.

• be willing to spend one and half  hours for a platelet donation (slightly longer for white blood cell donation).

You will be given a mini-physical including a blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and hemoglobin check.  Platelet donors need to be aspirin free for 36 hours, also plavix and ticlid free for 14 days, and have not taken any non-steroidal anti-inflammaroties in the last 24 hours before donating.  White blood cell donations may require medication prior to the donation.  

Every time you donate blood, someone benefits.  You can be sure that your apheresis donation is helping a person with very special health care needs.

For information or an appointment, please call 225-4610 or 1-800-491-4483 (GIVE)

BE AN APHERESIS DONOR - IT'S SAFE - IT'S EASY - IT SAVES LIVES !