General Donation Procedures

When you give at one of our fixed sites or at a blood drive, you will be asked to complete a brief, confidential questionnaire concerning your medical history, lifestyle, and risk of exposure to infectious agents. Your answers to these questions will help us determine whether or not you are an eligible donor. If you meet the requirements for donating blood, you will then be given a "mini-physical" consisting of a pulse, temperature, blood pressure and iron-level check. This initial screening process and physical exam takes approximately 30 minutes. You will also receive by mail your overall cholesterol test results and blood type.

Apheresis Donations:
Apheresis is an automated donation process that allows you to selectively donate the blood components that are needed for transfusion. Blood is drawn and is passed through a cell separator where the component is collected and the remainder is returned to you. This is different from whole blood donations where the blood components are separated later in laboratories, involving manual secondary handling. Apheresis is very safe. Each donation is medically supervised and is performed using a sterile disposable processing kit which is used only once. The kit is then destroyed.

South Texas Blood & Tissue Center offers 4 types of apheresis donation: dual red blood cell, platelet, plasma and red cell-plasma.

Platelet Apheresis:
Platelets are small blood cells that help control bleeding. Chemotherapy can destroy bone marrow cells that manufacture platelets. If the bone marrow becomes unproductive, platelet transfusion may be necessary to prevent bleeding until normal marrow activity is restored. Donated platelets must be used within five days.

Hours and Locations to Donate Platelets

Link to Platelet Hero Award Program
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Procedure :
This platelet apheresis procedure takes approximately 90 minutes and may be performed every 72 hours, but no more than 24 times a year. Generally, platelet donors prefer to donate every 2 weeks. While you donate, you may watch one of our movies or bring one of your favorites to watch. It is very important to schedule an appointment in advance. With platelet apheresis donation, donors can donate the same amount of platelets that would be drawn from five to ten whole blood donations.  

Requirements:
The same good health requirements that govern a regular blood donation apply here. You must be 17 years of age or older, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good general health. Please bring identification. You should not take aspirin or ibuprofen for two days before donating. Please inquire about the acceptability of other medications when scheduling your appointment. There is a deferral period of 3 days after a whole blood or plasma donation.

Advantages:
Every time you give, a patient benefits. Receiving a platelet unit from a single donor reduces the risk of an adverse transfusion reaction from several different donors.