What Is Automated Donation/Apheresis
Automated Donation, or Apheresis, is the process by which platelets and other blood components are collected from a donor using a cell separator. Blood is drawn from the donor, and Platelets, Plasma and/or Red Cells are collected by the cell separator. The remaining components are returned to the donor along with saline fluid. Each procedure takes one to two hours. Donor may watch movies, read, or simply relax during the donation. The word itself is derived from the Greek word “aphaeresis,” meaning “to take away.”
| Automated Donation Type | Optimal Blood types needed | Length between donations | Donation process time |
| Automated Red Cells | O-, O+, B-, A- | Every 16 weeks | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Red Cell + Platelet | O-, O+, B-, A-, AB- | Every 8 weeks | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Red Cell + Double Platelet | O-, O+, B-, A-, AB- | Every 8 weeks | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Single Platelet | All blood types | Every 8 days | 1 hour 20 min |
| Double Platelet | All blood types | Every 8 days | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Plasma + Platelet | AB+, AB- | Every 4 weeks | 1.5 hours |
| Jumbo Plasma | AB+, AB- | Every 24 days | 20 minutes |