Aversion to needles doesn't stop donor

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Julie Briggs
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  A staff sergeant who cannot volunteer at the Air Force Theater Hospital does so in another way. He donates blood platelets.

Staff Sgt. Bret Depratu, 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, has donated 10 units of blood platelets since his arrival in May, despite his aversion to needles.

"I don't like needles so that's the worst part of it," said the 46-year-old Air National Guardsman during one of his recent visits, "but I just grin through it and look the other way."

After that he said he reads, watches a video or views the process itself.

"It's kind of cool watching the blood go out and come back in," Sergeant Depratu said. "I find it fascinating that they can take the blood out, separate out the yellowish platelets and put the blood back into your body."

Platelets are used to stimulate clotting and control bleeding, said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Peter Pelletier, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group officer in charge of apheresis.

"As the largest trauma center in Iraq, it's critical that we have the ability to extract platelets where we can get them to patients quickly," Colonel Pelletier said.

According to the Air Force Theater Hospital's patient administration department, the hospital averaged about 620 patients a month in the past 90 days. Of those, 62 percent were U.S. servicemembers. The rest were non-U.S. citizens, including Iraqi men, women and children.

An on-site collection system is especially important when one considers that platelets only have a five-day shelf life, the colonel said.

Platelets are removed from the blood through a process called apheresis. During apheresis, blood is drawn from the donor's vein into the apheresis machine, which separates the blood into its four major components -- plasma, plasma-rich platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells -- by centrifugation or gravity, Colonel Pelletier said.

The machine is adjusted to select and remove the sticky, yellow platelet layer into a collection bag while the other components are collected in another bag. The remaining blood components are then recombined and mixed with saline, and returned to the donor.

During one session, the donor's entire blood supply -- about eight to 12 quarts -- is sent through the machine one time, removing about 63 percent of a donor's platelet supply, the colonel said.

"But not all at once," he said.

"There are continuous-flow machines that draw blood from one arm and return it through a vein in the other arm, but our machine isn't set up that way," Colonel Pelletier said.

The apheresis machine here draws and returns blood from the same vein in 10-minute cycles, said Airman 1st Class Shawn Christensen, 332nd MDG apheresis technician.

The biggest difference between donating blood and donating platelets is time -- the time it takes to donate and the time people must wait between donations. Donating platelets takes more time then giving blood, Colonel Pelletier said, but the wait time in between donations is significantly shorter.

Donating one unit, about one cup, of platelets takes 70 minutes and donating one unit of whole blood, one pint, takes 10 minutes, said Staff Sgt. Steven Beck, the platelet donor recruiter. However, the wait time between donations is two days for platelet donors and 56 days for whole blood donors.

Platelet donors can donate every week but no more than 24 units in one year, Colonel Pelletier said.

In fact, if a donor's platelet level is high enough, he or she can donate two units in one sitting. It can take up to two hours to donate a "double," the colonel said. Realistically, there is enough time for people here on a 120-day rotation to donate the maximum amount allowed, Sergeant Beck said, which is what Sergeant Depratu is trying to do.

"It's hard for me to donate time at the hospital," Sergeant Depratu said. "It takes a certain personality to sit (at the hospital) and watch what they do, and I don't have that."

Donating platelets is "just the one thing I can do to help people," he said.

Some donors do experience minor discomfort during the donation process, Colonel Pelletier said, such as chills and tingling lips.

And for those people who are scared of needles, Sergeant Depratu has one piece of advice.

"If I can do it -- and I can't stand the sight of them -- you can do it," Sergeant Depratu said. "Just jump in and do it."