Which blood donation is better?!
Question: The donations I've been doing for the last year are double red cell donations (2RBC). That's where they separate your blood components, take only the red blood cells, and shoot everything else back into you plus saline. Anyway, because 2RBC donations take away so much, you can only do it every 4 months. I've been thinking of doing something else and I was wondering what the pros and cons of 2RBC vs. Platelet donations (which you can do every week). I don't know what each type is used for or if one type is needed more than another. If it matters at all, my blood type is A positive.
Answers: The donations I've been doing for the last year are double red cell donations (2RBC). That's where they separate your blood components, take only the red blood cells, and shoot everything else back into you plus saline. Anyway, because 2RBC donations take away so much, you can only do it every 4 months. I've been thinking of doing something else and I was wondering what the pros and cons of 2RBC vs. Platelet donations (which you can do every week). I don't know what each type is used for or if one type is needed more than another. If it matters at all, my blood type is A positive.
Congrats on being a donor! As a medical tech... I see patients that need blood components on a daily basis. Plus donations, I help by crossmatching these products so they can use them.
As far as what is better...it is really up to the local donor site. There may be a bigger need for platelets than blood....or it may be the opposite. The thing that is so demanding about platelets is the fact that they have such a decreased shelf life...alot less than RBC's. So...if local hospitals do alot of surgeries or open hearts..they might be in demand for more platelet pheresis donors. If I were you...I would contact your donor site and ask them.
Thanks for saving lives!
First of all, thank you for donating. So many people ignore this life-saving community service. As for your question, I'm sure the Red Cross could answer this.
A single apheresis donation of platelets can provide as many platelets as 5 whole blood donations. In addition, a platelet transfusion from a single donor greatly reduces the chances of an immune system reaction to the transfusion. Bone marrow transplant, cancer and leukemia patients whose immune systems are already compromised, benefit particularly from single donor platelet transfusions.
In fact, doctors are finding that platelets play a vital role in more and more new therapies. With just a five-day storage life, platelet donations are delivered quickly to the patients who need them. Platelet donors have the satisfaction of knowing that their donation will be saving a life within just a few days. Blood is made of four components: platelets, plasma, red blood cells and white blood cells. The platelet component is necessary to control bleeding. Patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, for example, are unable to produce enough platelets. Without platelet transfusion, life-threatening hemorrhages could result. You can continue to give whole blood in addition to platelets. The same good health requirements for a whole blood donor apply to platelet donors.