One Platelet Pheresis Donation Provides as Many Platelets as Six to Eight Whole Blood Donations Advance medical technology has made it possible to treat patients with blood diseases and other illnesses by using blood and its components.
Platelets are tiny cells that help blood to clot.
The growing success of chemotherapy as a weapon against cancer means more and more patients require platelets as part of their medical treatment. Facts One pheresis donation provides as many platelets as six to eight whole blood donations. Pheresis donors must meet the same medical criteria as whole bloood donors and must have a suitable vein in their arm. Platelet donors can donate whole blood 3 days after making a pheresis donation. During a pheresis donation, blood is drawn from one arm and passed through a cell separating machine carefully removing the platelets and returning the red cells and plasma to the donor through the other arm.