IMA BLOOD BANK - Civil Lines, Bareilly (UP)

Apheresis is derived from a Greek word Aphairesis which means taking away or separation. In this whole blood is removed from the donor, desired component is retained and the remaining constituents are again returned (transfused) to the donor. This separation can be done both manually as well as by Apheresis machine (cell separators). In our blood bank we perform Apheresis by cell separators.

The main indications of Apheresis are

To collect the component for transfusion purpose i.e.
- Platelet - Plateletpheresis
- Leucocytes - Leucopheresis of Granulocytapheresis
- Plasma - Plasmapheresis
- Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs)
To remove pathological components from the circulating blood i.e
- Therapeutic Apheresis by using cell separators.

Routinely available platelets are known as Random Donor platelet (RDP) prepared from whole blood of one donor and is approximately 50ml.
Single Donor platelets (SDP) popularly known as Jumbo Platelets are obtained by single ABO group specific donor using cell separator. Yields around 200 ml product which is equivalent to 6-8 donors. Quality of product is far better than RDP because it is prepared from screened single donor.

These are as follows for various Apheresis procedures:

Plateletpheresis
- Age 18-65 years
- Weight >55kgs.
- Platelet count >150,000/lacs
A donor should not undergo the procedure more than 2 times in a week and not more than 24 times in a year.

Venous access is an important factor in Apheresis donor. Hence, veins of the arms should be prominent to undergo the whole procedure.
The donor is tested for the Transfusion Transmitted Diseases prior to the procedure.

Donors who have taken aspirin-containing medications within 72 hours are deferred.
Interval between two Plateletphersis procedures should be at least 48 hours.

APHERESIS