Plasma donations?!

Plasma donations?

What is involved in plasma donations? How long does it take? Does it hurt more than blood donations? If so, how much more? Are there any health concerns to be aware of? What should I do before I donate plasma?

Thanks

When you first go to a plasma donation center, be sure to bring the correct documents with you. Call ahead and ask what is required; some require to you not only have picture ID, but social security card, and even proof of residence (such as a bill that has the same address on it as your license).

Next, you will get a physical to determine if you are healthy enough to donate plasma. Don't worry though; most people are perfectly healthy. During this phase though, they will ask you about piercings and tattoos. It is different at most centers, but for the most part they will not accept you if you have had any piercings or tattoos done within the last year. The ones you already have will normally be charted for reference. They will take your vital signs and look you over generally. They will also ask you about drug use. Additionally, they will check to be sure you have adequate veins by feeling your arm. They will require that you disclose to them any medications that you may be taking. Some medications bind to plasma and would not be appropriate to pass on to the person you are donating plasma to. They will weigh you to determine how much you are able to donate. The more you weigh, the more you can donate.

After your first visit, you'll skip this step the next time and go to a questioning booth, just like when donating blood. They will ask you a lot of questions, which will take about 5 minutes. They will also take your vital signs, weigh you, and do a finger stick blood test to be sure your blood count is high enough to donate. It is just a small prick, and will not generally hurt much at all.

After that, you will be taken into the donating room. You are usually put in a recliner like chair, similiar to when donating blood. A tech will then find a vein, clean your arm, and put in a similar gauge needle (18 I believe) to blood donation. The tech will explain to you how the machine works. The machine simply takes the blood out of your arm automatically, similar to blood donation, separates the plasma from the blood, puts the plasma into a container (which is usually visible, so that you can see when you are nearly done when the container is full), and then returns the red blood cells back to you through the same IV.

Depending on your hydration status, the whole process can take within 40 minutes to an hour and a half. I would recommend making sure you are plenty hydrated before going to donate. This ensures that you will not feel as dehydrated afterwards either, because depending on your weight, they can take almost a liter of fluid from you. At the end, they do give you a small bag of saline into your IV to replace the lost volume. Since the saline is room temperature, it may feel cold or funny going into your body.

The other thing I would recommend is that you be sure not to take anything which would thin your blood before donating. When the tech removes your IV, it can be hard to stop the blood if you've taken anything with aspirin in it, since its a decently large bore needle. Additionally, do not donate plasma when you are not feeling well or are on antibiotics for any infection, as you could pass it on to the person you are donating it to.

One additional note I would add is that many plasma centers are kept very air conditioned at a low temperature to keep germs down, not unlike a hospital. I would recommend bringing a jacket and rolling up one sleeve to donate, or laying the jacket over you. Some people even bring blankets, in my experience.

It does not hurt any more than donating blood. The same two things happen during blood and plasma donation: large bore IV insertion and a small fingerstick. If you've donated blood and the small amount of pain hasnt bothered you, donating plasma should not be any different.

As far as health concerns, if you are a healthy individual, there should not be any. As long as you are healthy and remain properly hydrated, plasma donation is as safe as donating blood.

Even though you didnt mention it, most plasma centers also do compensate you for donating plasma. Most centers pay their donors based on how much they have donated, meaning if you are in a higher weight range, you will get paid more. In my experience, you would go to the center twice a week to donate, and I would be paid $20 the first day and $35 the second day that week.

All in all, its a good way to make a little extra money, and it really helps out people who need treatments made from plasma to live, such as hemophiliacs.

Sorry its so long! Hope this helps.

EmilyRN