Hillcrest collects first platelet donation

Based at the Colony Centre, the clinic staff were successfully trained in the platelet donation procedure at Westwood Mall Blood Donor Clinic. The Hillcrest Blood Donor Clinic is the third centre to offer this service in KZN and also offers source-plasma collections.

How are plasma and platelets used in medical treatments?

Plasma is a component of blood, and the product is used when treating trauma cases. Platelets are used to treat cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy treatment and patients who experience haemorrhaging.

Staff nurse Jacki Smith explains, “When a patient comes into theatre with trauma and they are haemorrhaging, we can’t give them blood. However, we need to give their red blood cells a medium to be carried around the body, and that medium is source plasma. Plasma can be freeze-dried and stored for long periods, reconstituted and given to the patient in vast volumes. It is a way to keep the organs oxygenated while the doctors do their work. We usually go through large quantities of plasma in theatre when dealing with major trauma.”

Source plasma has a shelf life of between eight to 10 years, setting it apart from other blood products, most of which expire within 40 days. Platelets expire in five days. The fragility of these products, therefore, requires a dependable donor base that donates frequently.

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What is the donation process?

The process differs between whole blood, plasma, and platelet collections.

“The whole blood collection is straightforward as we take blood from the veins and bag it. A donation takes eight to 10 minutes and the patient leaves having lost 450ml of blood. The plasma and platelet collection process takes the blood out of the body, spins it in a centrifuge and the properties we want to take get separated out, and the red cells are returned to the donor. It’s a draw and return process as we’re not collecting the red blood cells.”

Whole blood donations can be taken every two months and can save up to three lives. Source plasma and platelets may be donated every two weeks.

Does a donation really make a difference? 

An example of how plasma donations can save lives is the recent case of an expectant woman with a low platelet count who was scheduled for surgery.

“A donor was found to be a perfect match, and the platelets donated were given to the pregnant patient before her operation. She could have passed away during surgery if not for this donation, due to failure to clot. The donation saved her life, and it’s a privilege to be involved with cases such as these. Yes, we have the skills, but we wouldn’t be able to do our work if it wasn’t for people like Tracy and our other amazing donors.”

Plasma donor Tracy Sheppard has donated regularly since her teenage years. She says she feels that it is time for her to give back and that donating platelets was painless.

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Good to know before you go

Only one percent of the population are regular blood donors. Should you like to save lives, you need to be between 16 and 75, weigh more than 50 kilograms, lead a safe lifestyle, have a valid ID document, and be available to donate a unit of blood every three months. When you visit your local blood collection centre, the staff will undertake a full screening for the safety of both donor and recipient.

Donors with an A or AB blood group are particularly suitable for the platelet donation programme, and SANBS is eager to increase this section of their donor base.

The Hillcrest Blood Donor Clinic is open from 09:00 to 17:00 on Monday to Friday and 08:30 to 13:30 on Saturdays.

For more information: 0800 11 90 31 or www.sanbs.org.za

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