Blood Centers Have ‘ Constant Need ’ For Life-Saving Platelet Donations

BOSTON (CBS) – As summer approaches there is an urgent call for platelet donors. And with summer vacations, college students out of town, and new FDA guidelines restricting who can donate the need is greater than ever.
“There is really a constant need and the unfortunate thing is platelets can only be stored for 5 days at room temperature,” explained Dr. Richard Kaufman, Medical Director at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at Dana Farber and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
This isn’t a regular blood donation. Instead donors give just their platelets.
“We need them for a wide variety of patients, particularly those being treated for cancer, those having stem cell transplants,” said Dr. Kaufman.
A blood donor at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center. (WBZ-TV)
Those life-saving platelets are separated from the blood through a machine and the rest of the blood is then returned to the donor. While WBZ-TV visited the donation center on an unusually busy day, there is a real concern that the beds could be empty through the summer months.
“It’s a particularly difficult time for us to maintain our platelet inventory,” Kaufman said.
Adding to an already low supply many moms are now restricted from donating because of antibodies they might have produced during pregnancy. Those antibodies are harmless to the mother but could pose a health risk for platelet recipients.
“It really has cut down the number of eligible donors,R...

Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - June 7, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health Local News PMC Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Paula Ebben Platelet Donation Source Type: news