Blood platelet collection begins at Balad

  • Published
  • By Maj. John Hutcheson
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  When coalition forces are wounded on the battlefield, sometimes it takes more than a skilled medical team to save their lives. It takes blood, and lots of it.

With the help of apheresis, a new capability at the Air Force Theater Hospital here, doctors now have a ready supply of platelets, one of the key blood components necessary to stimulate clotting and stop bleeding.

Apheresis allows doctors to use a centrifuge to separate donor blood into its components, extract the valuable platelets and then return the remaining blood components to the donor.

"As the largest trauma center in Iraq, it's critical that we have the ability to extract platelets on site where we can get them to patients quickly," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Peter Pelletier, officer in charge of apheresis. "Because platelets have a shelf-life of only five to seven days, getting them from the states doesn't work. By the time they get here, they're too old."

In the past, Balad relied on the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad for its platelets. Having the apheresis capability here will ensure a more stable supply of platelets on site and reduce the need for whole blood drives, Dr. Pelletier said.

"There is a constant need for donors," said Col. Linda Ebling, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Support Squadron commander. "Since individuals can donate twice a week, we hope that the eligible donors will make multiple donations. This is lifesaving support for our combat forces."

The Balad apheresis team runs 24/7 operations screening donors and collecting platelets. While there is only one machine running right now, the ultimate goal is to have two machines running with an extra as a back-up, Colonel Pelletier said.

The actual platelet donation usually lasts between one-and-a-half to two hours. A donor's blood is drawn into the apheresis device, where it is spun in the centrifuge. This removes the platelets for collection, and the remaining blood components are cycled back into the patient. A total of six to 10 cycles removes about 63 percent of a donor's platelet supply. While that may seem like a lot, the body replenishes those platelets within 48 hours, according to Colonel Pelletier.

Donors can give platelets up to twice a week but no more than 24 times in a year. Individuals may only donate whole blood six to seven times a year, and must wait at least 56 days between each donation. A unit of apheresis platelets is worth at least six units of single random-donor platelets from whole blood.

On April 22, Senior Airman Lyndsay Moen, a nutritional medicine technician in the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group, became the first platelet donor to undergo apheresis at Balad.

The Airman, who has experience as a traditional blood donor, admitted she was a little nervous at first, but once the procedure got under way, she was able to relax.

"It wasn't that bad," she said after the procedure.

Asked what she would tell people curious about whether to donate or not, she said, "Do it."

Airman Moen said she intends to donate at least once more before heading home to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in a few weeks. Because the need is so persistent, the apheresis staff hopes that many Airmen and Soldiers will sign up and become regular donors.