Automated Blood Collection
Automated blood collection (also called apheresis), or ABC, is a special kind of blood donation. Instead of giving one pint of whole blood (as in a regular donation), an ABC donor gives only the components of blood needed for patients that day. ABC is made possible by an amazing machine that separates the components of your blood, retains certain components, and returns the rest to you—all with a single needle. It's a very efficient way of directly helping patients in hospitals. By collecting the optimal number of blood components at each donation, we can help ensure that these lifesaving products are available for the community.
Donor health and medical history requirements for ABC are the same as for a whole blood donation, with a few additional requirements. Each donation is based on gender, height, weight and hemoglobin (the number of red blood cells) count on the day of donation. These requirements are in place to ensure donor safety. One of our medical technicians will use the blood collection machine and their expertise to determine what type of donation you can safely give that day. Donors must have given whole blood once prior to making an ABC appointment.
Donating Platelets»
During a platelet donation, we will collect one, two, or three units of platelets. One of our medical technicians will recommend the number of units based on your weight, hemoglobin level, and platelet count that day. Platelet donations are accepted at all three of our donor centers.
You may donate platelets every 72 hours (3 days). However, there is a limit
of 24 platelet donations per person per year. If it has been less than seven days since your last donation, a preliminary platelet count must be performed, which can only be done at our Hillview center. Many of our dedicated platelet donors choose to give every two weeks of the year.
Click here to schedule a donation at one of our centers. Please remember to increase intake of fluids, calcium, and iron at least two days before your appointment. This will help prevent donation reactions.
Special note: Due to a change in the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) recommendations, we're changing the amount of time that must pass between taking aspirin and donating platelets. Beginning May 1, 2008, donors must be aspirin-free for 48 hours to donate platelets.
Why, you ask? Because aspirin reduces the potency and performance of your platelets. The more time between taking aspirin and donating blood, the better for the recipient. We're making this change because it will make transfusions more effective for patients in our community hospitals.
Donating Red Blood Cells»
During a red blood cell donation, we will collect two units of red blood cells and return the other components to the donor. We refer to this as a double red blood cell donation, or "DRBC" for short. Gender, height, and weight are crucial in determining whether a person can give this type of donation. In general, women must be at least 5' 5" tall and weigh at least 150 pounds, and men must be at least 5' 1" tall and weigh at least 130 pounds. DRBC donors must also have a hemoglobin level of at least 13.5 g/dL.
Why are the requirements different for women and men? Because women and men have different total blood volumes (TBV)—even if they weigh the same amount. The standard of care dictates that no more than 15% of a person's TBV should be drawn at a time. Our automated machines determine TBV based on gender, height, weight and hemoglobin.
DRBC donations are only accepted on mobile blood drives and at our Hillview donor center.
Donors may only make a DRBC donation every 16 weeks. Click here to schedule a donation at one of our centers.
Donating Red Blood Cells + Plasma»
During a RBC/Plasma donation, we will collect one unit of red blood cells, and either two or three units of plasma. A medical technician will recommend the number of units of plasma you can safely donate based on your weight.
RBC+plasma donations are only accepted at our Mountain View donor center. Click here to schedule a donation at one of our centers.
Donating other combinations of blood components»
Based on your size, hemoglobin level, platelet count, and the current needs of our community, our medical technicians may determine that a different combination of blood components would be most efficient for a donation. The most common types are listed above, but other ABC options are one, two or three platelets; one, two or three plasmas; or any combination dependent on total blood voume and platelet count.
Click here to schedule a donation at one of our centers.
FAQs about ABC»
What are the possible side effects?
Like whole blood, ABC donations differ between individuals.
Reactions to doing ABC are similar to reactions when giving whole blood.
During an ABC donation, the technician can give you sterile fluids to
replace the blood volume lost during the donation. Many donors actually
feel better after an ABC donation than after a whole blood donation where
no volume is replaced. If you feel any discomfort, adjustments can be
made to assure you have a pleasant experience.
I don't mind donating, but I don't like the idea of anything
coming back into me.
Many first-time ABC donors express this concern. Remember that
each procedure uses a sterile, single-use, disposable tubing set. This
eliminates the risk of "catching anything" during the procedure. In addition,
most donors can't even tell when the blood is coming out or going in.
It shouldn't feel much different than when you donate whole blood.
How do I know I won't get something from someone else's blood
in the machine?
Cleanliness and sterility are of utmost importance to us.
Each procedure uses a sterile, single-use, disposable tubing set. The
tubing is all enclosed so blood doesn't ever come into contact with the
machine. When a donor finishes his/her donation, the entire tubing set is removed from the machine and set is discarded.
I don't think I could handle a needle in my arm for that long.
The needle for ABC is smaller than the
one used for whole blood donation, and many donors find it more
comfortable. Since ABC takes a little longer than a whole blood donation, we also offer a few comforts to help pass the time:
• electric blankets to keep donors warm and cozy
• free wireless internet access so donors can use their laptops
• DVD players and headsets at each ABC chair and full access to our DVD library, for donors to be relaxed and entertained
Who can I contact about ABC, and where can I donate?
Appointment Office
888-723-7831Automated Collections Supervisor
650-724-6772Campus Donor Center
780 Welch Road, Suite 100
Palo AltoHillview Donor Center
3373 Hillview Avenue
Palo AltoMountain View Donor Center
515 South Drive, Suite 20
Mountain View