The Medical Services Administration (ASEM) called on the public to donate platelets of all blood groups in the Blood bank of the Medical Center in Río Piedras due to the need to have supplies of the necessary thrombocytes for oncology patients, patients who require or have undergone surgeries and for people with coagulation problems.
Jorge Matta Gonzálezexecutive director of ASEM, indicated, in written statements, that donating platelets can mean the difference between life or death for many people.
“Platelet donation can save between one and three lives, depending on the amount collected, but it needs to be a continuous process, due to the short useful life of this component (of blood),” he explained.
“Platelets cannot be produced artificially, and their availability can make the difference between life and death for many of our patients”added Matta González.
For his part, the medical director of ASEM, Dr. Israel Ayala Oliverasspecified that platelets are an essential component of blood that helps clotting and prevents bleeding.
ADVERTISING
“They are particularly necessary for patients receiving chemotherapy treatments, organ transplants, surgeries or suffering serious accidents. However, their useful life is very limited, because they only last five days, which requires a constant supply of donations to cover hospital demands.the doctor explained.
As indicated, people interested in donating blood platelets must be between the ages of 21 and 70, weigh more than 130 pounds and be in good general health.
In addition, they said, the donor must not have consumed aspirin 48 hours prior to the donation. You should also not consume antibiotics 72 hours prior to donation.
Unlike a whole blood donation, platelet donation is a specialized process known as apheresis, in which platelets are specifically removed from the donor’s blood. This procedure lasts approximately 90 minutes to two hours and donors can donate platelets up to 24 times a year.unlike whole blood donation, which can only be done every 56 days.
What is the Blood Bank?
The Puerto Rico Blood Bank at the Medical Center provides blood components to key hospitals of the health systemsuch as the Adult, Pediatric, Industrial, Trauma and Municipal University Hospital of San Juan.
“The Blood Bank needs between 10 and 12 donors daily to maintain an adequate inventory of platelets. It is a considerable number of donors required per day, especially during festive seasons and vacations, when donations decrease, but demand tends to increase,” Ayala Oliveras emphasized.
ADVERTISING
Although on this occasion the exhortation is to donate platelets, Ayala stressed that “The institution continues to request blood donors, especially type O-, which is called the universal and essential donor for medical emergencies. “The supply of type O- blood remains limited, and is crucial for saving lives in critical situations, such as traffic accidents and patients with severe trauma.”
Platelet donations require an appointment, while blood donations can be made without an appointment at the Blood Bank facilities, located between the main parking lot of the hospital complex and the external clinics, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm For more information about the requirements or to coordinate your appointment, you can call 787-777-3844 or write to [email protected].
