You can give in a collection center by appointment. Find all the addresses and contact details of the collections on the EFS website. With the platelet donation process you can have the things solved properly.
How is a donation of plasma or platelets?
The donation of plasma and platelets is secure at each stage, for both the donor and the recipient:
- During the pre-donation interview, the doctor checks the suitability of the donor
- Sampling material (needle, tubes, bags) is sterile and disposable
- The volume taken is adjusted according to the circulating blood volume of the donor
- The samples are labeled for perfect traceability and analysis. If an anomaly is found, the donor is notified by mail
Finally, a final check is made just before the use of the blood product to check the compatibility between donor and recipient.
Plasma donation
The donation lasts about 60 minutes, but allow 1h30 between the time of arrival and departure. The sample is taken by apheresis. This technique makes it possible to take a single blood component, here the plasma. To do this, the blood passes into a centrifuge that stores the plasma and returns the other blood components to the donor (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets).
You must respect a period of 2 weeks between each donation. It is possible to give your plasma 24 times a year.
Donate platelets
- The donation lasts about 90 minutes. Allow on average 2 hours between arrival and departure.
- The sample is taken by apheresis. This technique makes it possible to obtain 6 times more platelets than during a donation of blood.
- During the donation process, 420 to 480 ml of blood is taken, depending on your weight. But this blood volume is recovering very quickly! However, some people feel a little “flagada” after a visit to the tents of blood donation. Some precautions therefore help donors not to flinch.
Before
The EFS first recommends simply getting in shape: “do not give when you feel tired, feel discomfort or pain. “In previous days, be sure to sleep well and drink plenty of water. And the D-day, do not disembark especially on an empty stomach! Remember to prepare a good breakfast, or, if the donation is planned in the afternoon, to have a well-balanced lunch. Avoid drinking alcohol.
After
The sampling lasts 8 to 10 minutes. Afterward, you will be directed to a snack area: biscuits, fruit juice, compotes. The EFS recommends hydrating well and resting for at least 20 minutes”. Afterward, continue to drink a lot. And avoid smoking and intense physical activity in the hours that follow.
Platelets are mainly intended for patients with hematological diseases and cancers who undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy but also for accident victims, burn victims, people with serious infections. Indeed, some diseases (such as leukemia) and heavy treatments prevent the production of blood cells by the bone marrow. The patient no longer producing, he risks hemorrhage. The use of a donor and the transfusion of platelets are then systematic and indispensable.
Like platelets and white blood cells, platelets are small cells produced by the bone marrow. They are very important in coagulation because when a wound bleeds, it is they who come to plug the hole and stop bleeding with the help of coagulation factors contained in the plasma. Like red blood cells, they can be transfused.
