Third apheresis at SJMC 20 oct '21 and clearing lot of doubts ..

Yesterday, being a holiday, I called up Dr Sitalakshmi at St. John's asking whether there was any need of platelets. She asked me to come by 11 am. From 11.20 am to 1.30 pm, as usual in earlier cases, I donated platelets. I am very thankful for the SJMC staff, it was again a great and pleasant experience for me.

I also got to talk with the PG doc Dr. Ashley for two hours on Amazon, Jeff Bezos, global history, Peter Diamandis, Yuval Noah Harari  and so on. Also about human migration from Africa 66,000 years back till 25,000 years back to Cape Horn  South America. Since the process should happen only under medical supervision, the interactions with the doctor and understanding about his studies, work life balance etc, helped me to pass time fast.

 

Naturally when I speak about apheresis to others, what people usually ask is how safe is it ?. Earlier a whole blood donation would be over in 20 minutes, there is only some blood drain from your body, but during apheresis, it is recirculation of the blood after passing through an external centrifuge machine that takes out the platelets from the blood, the rest of the blood reenters the body, this is the cause for this doubt among the people. 

 

Some questions I had to answer to people regarding apheresis. My own family members started questioning my discretion as regards the procedure. With my limited medical knowledge and help from uncle Google, I could get some relevant info, hope it turns out useful for potential future donors.

 

1. Can infections come from the centrifuge or the kit ? Enough care is taken in the machine to prevent any infections through blood, the doctors say. After every process, I am more than confident it is cleaned well before the blood of the next patient is passed through it. Moreover, the external kit for doing an apheresis is very costly, about INR 14000/-. It is sterilised enough and kept in sterile conditions, so no cause for worry.

 

2. Is whole blood donation safer than apheresis ? Medical literature quotes that the risk of medial complications is less in apheresis, than with whole blood donation. 

Overall, evidence in the literature suggests that the frequency of reactions to apheresis donation is less than that seen in whole blood donation, though the risk of reactions requiring hospitalization is substantially greater.  Jeffrey Winters, pubmed.gov

Click here for the abstract of a paper on Complications of Donor Apheresis, pubmed.gov, nih.gov, National Library of Medicine. The paper claims that the complications though less than whole blood donation, the complexity of complications could be greater in apheresis. 

3. What are the side effects of apheresis ? Some close family members and close friends were sceptical and questioning me on the side effects of apheresis. From medical literature of all these years, (that is the only evidence we have of any complications), the only side effects can happen only during the apheresis procedure.

Some people have side effects from apheresis. These may include an allergic reaction, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, or low blood pressure. You may feel numbness, tingling, and itching. Most side effects will stop when the treatment ends - Learning about Apheresis, Uty of Alberta

Click here for a doc by University of Alberta on the side effects of Apheresis. 

4. What happens during apheresis ? What is the process of Apheresis ? 

Image courtesy, med.utah.edu

The process of apheresis involves removal of whole blood from a patient or donor. Within an instrument that is essentially designed as a centrifuge, the components of whole blood are separated. One of the separated portions is then withdrawn and the remaining components are retransfused into the patient or donor - med.utah.edu

5. Is apheresis safe for me? Yes, apheresis donations are very safe. Each donation is closely supervised by trained staff who observe the donors throughout the process. Only a small percentage of your platelets are collected, so there are no risks of bleeding.  www.leehealth.org

6. What are the medical conditions that are treated with apheresis precedure ? Stanford Healthcare talks of the different medical conditions that can be treated with apheresis. Conditions treated with apheresis may include: (courtesy Stanford Healthcare), links provided for more detailed study

Stanford Healthcare claims to deliver the highest levels of care and compassion,.

• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Graft versus host disease
• Hodgkin's disease
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma 
• Multiple myeloma
• Myeloproliferative disorders
• Sickle cell disease
• Small cell lung cancer
• Thymoma

My experience at SJMC during the apheresis procedure is getting very interesting  day by day as I get to know more each time by interacting with the very informed professionally trained medical professionals available there for helping the people. Very informed and professional competent friendly doctors and staff at the blood bank are a real asset to the hospital. Reached home by 2 pm.

 

In total it was an interesting and good experience.. Experience is what matters in the present day world. You will get all wealth and leisure in life, but rich experience and knowledge one can get only by personal interaction with real life situations and knowledgeable individuals. Thanks to St. Johns Medical College doctors once again.

George