THE NEED IS THERE: RED CROSS NOW OFFERS LOCAL PLATELET DONATION SERVICE

Collection bags are continuously agitated to prevent the platelets from clumping.

The Red Cross is complementing its traditional blood donation services in the area with a new procedure designed to help cancer patients and organ transplant recipients.

Since November, the opportunity to donate blood platelets has been available once a month in Cape Girardeau.

Standard donation entails the drawing of one pint of whole blood from the donor. In the new procedure, only part of the blood is taken.

"You get your blood back, minus the platelets and some plasma," said Shawnna Rhine, donor services recruiter for the local Red Cross.

Blood consists of four components: red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets. The latter component is the blood's clotting agent, which helps close cuts.

Patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy and radiation treatment often have trouble producing sufficient platelets, and need transfusions in order to prevent life-threatening hemorrhages.

"By giving them more platelets, it makes the blood thicker and basically prevents them from bleeding to death," Rhine said.

Organ transplant recipients and patients undergoing surgery can also benefit from additional platelets.

The procedure has been available in other parts of the country, including the St. Louis area, for several years.

Because of the extensive equipment involved, it is only offered in Cape Girardeau the final Wednesday of each month at the Red Cross' regular drive at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, 921 N. Clark St. Four machines are brought in from St. Louis.

Platelet donation is similar to traditional donation, except the process takes about twice as long. Because of that, an advance appointment is required.

Donor prerequisites are the same -- minimum of 17-years-old, at least 115 pounds in weight, good iron levels in the blood -- with the additional requirement that the donor cannot have ingested aspirin within the last 36 hours. Aspirin acts as a blood thinner.

Giving whole blood -- including the pre-donation screening, actual donation and recovery time -- takes about an hour. Giving platelets takes two hours.

The process works thusly:

Needles are hooked into both of the donor's arms. One output line runs from the donor into a large machine that separates the platelets from the rest of the blood. The platelets are collected and the remaining blood goes through the input line and back to the donor.

"A lot of people prefer donating platelets because they don't get that tired, woozy feeling," Rhine said.

The body replenishes platelets quickly. In fact, unlike whole blood donation, which requires donors to wait eight weeks before again giving, platelet donors can give every three days.

"It's very safe and very simple," Rhine said.

Prior to the new procedure, platelets had to be separated from units of donated blood. It takes five to 10 units of whole blood to get one unit of platelets.

Bob Seabaugh of Cape Girardeau donated platelets Wednesday at a Senior Center blood drive.

A regular whole blood donor who gives every eight weeks at the Church of Christ in Jackson, Seabaugh has given platelets each of the three times the opportunity has been available locally.

"You don't feel a thing," Seabaugh said of the removal and return process. "I'd just as soon give this as whole blood. It just takes a bit longer."

He said he also likes the fact that he can give platelets yet still maintain his whole blood donation cycle.

"It just feels good to be a donor," Seabaugh said.

Steve Morse of Benton was hooked up to the adjoining machine. A former resident of California, where the procedure has been available for some time, it was his 40th platelet donation overall and his second at the Senior Center.

Counting whole blood, plasma and platelets donations, Wednesday was his 150th donation.

"I'm going to give until they tell me they don't want it," Morse said. "I just love giving. Some day, I may need some."