In addition to the donation of whole blood, it is possible to donate individual blood components with procedures called apheresis (apheresis: take away from…). It is possible to donate whole blood: A whole blood donation takes about 15 minutes. Today, whole blood is used almost exclusively for the production of blood components (plasma, platelets, and red blood cells). Women who are no longer fertile and men can donate whole blood every three months, while women in childbearing age can donate only twice a year with at least a three-month interval between donations.
It is possible to donate only plasma – plasmapheresis. A plasma donation takes about 50 minutes. A cell separator attached to the cannula (the needle that is inserted into the vein) separates the plasma from the other blood cells, which are re-infused into the donor’s bloodstream. Approximately 600 ml of plasma is collected and the time of donation depends on the person’s blood flow: the faster the blood flow, the less time the donation takes. The recovery of the blood volume is immediate, while substances such as proteins found in plasma take a few days to recover. Pursuant to Italian law, plasma can be donated every 14 days.
It is possible to donate only platelets – plateletpheresis. A platelet donation takes approximately one and a half hours. The procedure is similar to that of plasmapheresis: a machine separates the corpuscular elements from the plasma from which it extracts the platelets, which are then collected in a special bag. The plasma, red blood cells and white blood cells are re-infused into the donor. A donor can undergo up to six plateletpheresis procedures per year.
Thanks to cell separators, it is possible to donate multiple blood components e.g. plasma and red blood cells (erythroplasmapheresis), red blood cells and platelets (erythroplasmapheresis), platelets collected in two bags, and plasma (plasma plateletpheresis).
It is possible to donate bone marrow: bone marrow looks like blood, is mainly located in the cavity of flat bones, especially the pelvis, ribs, and sternum, and is the tissue from which all blood cells originate. It is possible to donate bone marrow to patients who have serious blood diseases (leukaemia, plastic anaemia, thalassaemia syndromes etc.). The donated cells infused into the patient migrate through the blood until they find their BM niches after which they start producing healthy cells. Stem cells reproduce at a very intense rate so that even if they are taken for donation their numbers remain the same. Compatibility between donor and recipient is necessary to perform a bone marrow transplant; this means that they must be genetically related, and as it is not easy to find suitable donors, there are national registries of potential bone marrow donors all over the world.
Cord blood can be donated immediately after childbirth in the delivery room, whether the birth was spontaneous or by caesarean section. When the newborn has received the necessary care, after the umbilical cord has been cut and before the placenta is expelled, the cord is connected to a bag where the blood it contains is collected without any discomfort for the mother.
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