General Donation Procedures

When you give at one of our fixed sites or at a blood drive, you will be asked to complete a brief, confidential questionnaire concerning your medical history, lifestyle, and risk of exposure to infectious agents. Your answers to these questions will help us determine whether or not you are an eligible donor. If you meet the requirements for donating blood, you will then be given a "mini-physical" consisting of a pulse, temperature, blood pressure and iron-level check. This initial screening process and physical exam takes approximately 30 minutes. You will also receive by mail your overall cholesterol test results and blood type.

Apheresis Donations
Apheresis is an automated donation process that allows you to selectively donate the blood components that are needed for transfusion. Blood is drawn and is passed through a cell separator where the component is collected and the remainder is returned to you. This is different from whole blood donations where the blood components are separated later in laboratories, involving manual secondary handling. Apheresis is very safe. Each donation is medically supervised and is performed using a sterile disposable processing kit which is used only once. The kit is then destroyed.

South Texas Blood & Tissue Center offers 4 types of apheresis donation: dual red blood cell, platelet, plasma and red cell-plasma.

Dual Red Blood Cell Apheresis
Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s organs and tissue, and remove carbon dioxide.

People who have been in car accidents and have suffered massive blood loss may require transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells. Concentrated red blood cells are the most often ordered blood components for surgery. Over 60% of all needed transfusion units are red cells. Red blood cells must be transfused within 42 days.

Procedure:
Dual red blood cell (DRBC) process allows you to donate two units of red cells during one visit. The apheresis procedure separates red cells while your blood is being drawn. The process takes approximately 45 minutes.

Advantages:
You will be able to donate two units of concentrated red cells during one visit to the blood center and receive credit for two donations.

You will receive saline (a salt solution) to replace the volume of blood that you donate. You will actually have a smaller net volume loss than you would with a traditional whole blood donation.

You will be deferred for 16 weeks before you can donate again. This is advantageous for donors with busy work schedules who find it difficult to donate every eight weeks.

Requirements:
Donors must be 17 years of age and in good physical condition. Female donors must weigh at least 150 pounds and be 5’5" tall; male donors must weigh at least 130 pounds and be 5’1" tall. Both must have an acceptable red cell (iron) count, which will be checked during the donor screening process.

If you cannot donate two units of red cells, you may still be able to donate one whole blood unit. Medical personnel at the blood center will assess this.