The Importance of Platelet Donation: A Story of a Voluntary Blood Donor

HERMOSILLO, Sonora.- David Hurtado Inzunza has been a voluntary blood donor for 5 years, and for the first time he decided to donate platelets for a patient about to receive a transplant, his wish is to be able to help more people through this action, and to do it routinely.

I have donated blood a few times, this is the fifth time, but the first time that I am going to donate platelets.

“I would like to continue voluntarily, for acquaintances or people who need it; Before the pandemic, I donated once a year, but later I paused it as a precaution, now I want to resume it, especially with platelets, because they told me it could be every 15 days, ”he shared.

At the age of 19, David donated for the first time, and on all the occasions that he has been evaluated, he has been suitable to be a donor.

For him, this means a privilege, because he is aware that not everyone can be a donor.

“The five times I have come to donate, the five times I have been able to; I know that many people are rejected, or present something that prevents them from donating, so I feel very happy about that.

“I like to think that I have a healthy lifestyle, that I try to eat well, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t use drugs or tobacco, that helps a lot, it’s the majority, in fact, and I haven’t had any disease when I have to come,” he explained.

For David, more people should join the blood donation, since it is a process that does not take more than 15 minutes, when it comes to blood, or an hour if it involves platelets.

I do believe that the donation should be disseminated even more”, he considered, “and if more people are encouraged to donate, it is better, of course, since it is a great help for those who need it”.

CALL TO DONATE PLATELS

Mirna Ivón Ayala López, a chemist at the Blood Transfusion Center, explained that platelet donation is done through a special machine, which extracts the donor’s blood, separates the platelets, and returns the blood again, so that the person don’t break down.

This allows for no side effects, the donor to recover faster, and the donation is more effective.

The machine extracts the donor’s blood and unlike normal blood donation, this machine works with pressure, extracts the blood, goes to a centrifuge that is working inside, separates the platelets, and returns the plasma and blood to the donor.

“This prevents the donor from losing as much volume, and it is less likely that a platelet donor will feel bad, since the concentrated erythrocytes do not lose,” he explained.

WHY IS SO DIFFICULT?

The complexity of getting platelet donors and having a suitable vein, because the machine must be able to extract the blood, and then return itTherefore, the needle cannot be the same as that of a normal blood extraction.

“The main thing is the vein, they have to have a fairly thick vein, as linear as possible, and rule out that it will not burst with pressure, because if this happens, the patient infiltrates and it is very painful.

The other thing is the platelet count, in some hospitals they ask for more than 200, in others 250,000, and that the donor has the time, because the process lasts from an hour to an hour and a half,” he explained.

The State Center for Blood Transfusion only receives voluntary donorssince in this way they do not have to queue or wait for a long time.

Donating platelets is donating life, he affirmed, since each unit can be the difference between life and death.

VOLUNTARY DONORS

Currently people can donate blood, voluntarily, in a period of no more than one hour, through the Blood Transfusion Center, located in the old State General Hospital.

For an appointment, you can call 66-2213-09-28, and request information and schedules for the process.

It may interest you: Sonora is in 20th place in the country in blood transfusion

IMPORTANT DATA

• Every day between 5 and 10 people are received in the Blood Transfusion Center to donate blood, and between 6 and 7 are usually candidates.
• Of the voluntary donorsaround 10% is usually to donate platelets.
• Monthly there are more than 250 transfusions throughout the State.
• Among the main requirements for the process is to be rested and avoid inappropriate food the night before the donation, since it is a normal reason why donors are not accepted.
• Some foods to avoid are dairy, meat, foods high in fat, or sugar, but there are no contraindications with water, fruits, or vegetables.