When an apheresis donor is called to donate, the donor knows that someone is in CRITICAL need of a blood component that only the apheresis donor is specially qualified to give.  These special donations SAVE LIVES.  If you already donate blood, you know how it feels to be a lifesaver! 

During the actual apheresis donation, blood is drawn from the donor’s arm and sent through sterile tubing into a cell-separator machine.  The machine spins the blood to separate the needed component, and then returns the remaining components to the donor in the same arm.  

Making an apheresis donation is completely safe.  The needle, tubing and collection bag in the machine are sterile and discarded after each donation.  It is impossible to get AIDS or any viral disease by making an apheresis donation.  Each donation is closely supervised by trained staff who observe the donor throughout the process. 

The entire apheresis process takes about 2 1/2 hours, including registration and a medical history exam.  Donors are welcome to watch television or videos during the donation process. 

Two common types of apheresis donations:

Platelets

Plasma