A man is donating blood at the centre.
The life-saving aspect of blood donation is an important one but not all donation types provide all needs. Two typical types of donation are whole blood donation and platelet donation. Each type meets a unique medical need and the process used to collect each type varies.
A whole blood donation includes donating blood and the fluid, or blood product in which all the blood cells and the plasma live while a platelet donation (apheresis) draws out only platelets, which help clot blood, for cancer patients and victims of severe illnesses. The knowledge of both types of donation may help donors realize which one may be of most benefit to patients.
Platelet donation (or apheresis) is an advanced method for donating blood. It focuses on collecting only platelets, which help to stop bleeding. The blood donation process draws blood through a machine which spins it to extract the platelets and a small amount of plasma. The red blood cells and most of the plasma are then returned to the donor.
In a single donation, multiple therapeutic units for patients can be produced. Platelets are vital to those receiving chemotherapy, going through major surgery or transplants. A donation will generally take two or three hours and can be made much more often than regular whole blood donations.
This is the most usual method of blood donation in which all components such as red blood cells, white cells, plasma and platelets are collected. This donated blood can either be transfused directly or its separate components can be used for more than one patient. This form of blood donation is used in the case of emergencies like accidents, huge surgeries and excessive blood loss.
The whole donation process is fairly simple and should take up to an hour when including preparation and recovery time. All blood groups are eligible to donate whole blood and blood donation should be performed not earlier than every 8 weeks if the guidelines are followed.
It's important for a potential donor to know the differences between whole blood and platelet donation so they can contribute in the most appropriate way possible. Both types are incredibly important in saving lives but vary in their purpose, procedure, and the frequency with which they can be donated.
When donating whole blood, all the blood components (red blood cells, plasma and platelets) are taken and stored in a single unit which can be separated and given to different patients. With platelet donation, the process is more targeted and only platelets are given by the donor (and a small amount of plasma), red blood cells are returned to the body.
Red blood cells from the whole blood donation carry the oxygen from the blood to the organs in the body. It is vital for trauma victims and for those undergoing major surgery or that have lost large volumes of blood; and indeed most transfusions are of red blood cells.
The job of platelets in the whole blood donation is to help stop bleeding. Patients that have undergone treatments like chemotherapy and organ transplant, or those having surgery can have trouble producing their own sufficient levels of platelets and therefore require regular platelet donations.
Whole blood donation is relatively straight-forward as only one unit is drawn and the blood takes around 1 hour (including the donation itself, preparation time and rest period) to withdraw. Platelet donation requires a more sophisticated process that takes longer and requires a longer donation period than for whole blood donations, it can take up to 3 hours but requires the donor to sit through the process as red blood cells are put back into the donor's body.
Microscopic view of red and white blood cells flowing in the bloodstream.
As has been previously stated whole blood donations can only take around 1 hour but platelet donations may require more as they will require the patient to be attached to the apheresis machine until the target number of platelets have been harvested.
As it takes quite a lot of time for a body to create sufficient red blood cells to be able to make another donation of whole blood, there is an 8 week waiting period between whole blood donations. Platelets are regenerated quicker by the body, therefore donors are able to donate platelets far more regularly-and in some cases as little as every week!
When donating whole blood, people may feel light headed due to the reduction in red blood cells which is where the oxygen comes from. After the donation has been made and blood sugar levels raised the person can often feel re-energized but generally will need more rest to compensate for the oxygen loss from their system. The majority of people who give platelets do not suffer ill effects as they can not lose their red blood cells, and most people continue their lives normally straight after a donation.
A single donation of whole blood can help many different patients, as the red blood cells plasma and platelets are separated and can all be given to separate people. The value in one whole blood donation could be enormous, yet a therapeutic amount of platelets required can sometimes be produced by more than one person donating whole blood! Hence the importance in apheresis as 1 whole donation of platelets by apheresis can aid one person in particular.
A man is donating blood in the centre.
Both whole blood donations and platelet donations save lives but are used for different medical circumstances. Whole blood donations can help various patients with many kinds of emergencies and treatment, but platelet donations can assist cancer patients, as well as many patients undergoing surgeries and other types of operations.
Being able to comprehend the variations can benefit the donor more with decisions and the help that they are giving. No matter what type of donation that is given, whether it is blood, plasma, or platelets, the impact is definitely noticeable. Being a constant donor and not taking breaks between giving blood will continue to provide the supply needed.
1. Stanford Blood Center: https://stanfordbloodcenter.org/whole_blood_pla/
2. CSL Plasma: https://www.cslplasma.com/blog/difference-between-plasma-platelet-blood
3. Red Cross Blood Org:
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/types-of-blood-donations.html
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