Donate Platelets

Patients suffering from leukemia, aplastic anemia or a bone marrow disease require special blood products, such as platelets or white blood cells. 

In an apheresis procedure, your blood is separated to extract only the needed component. Because of the special process involved, the blood donation procedure takes approximately two hours.

What Are Platelets?

Platelets are the cells in your blood that help to form a clot and keep you from bleeding.

Who Needs Platelets?

Patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment and those who are having a Bone Marrow Transplant, have especially low platelet counts and can bleed very easily. Platelet donations are in great demand by children undergoing these processes.

How Do Individuals Donate Platelets?

Because platelet donation involves separating cells from the blood, the collection procedure takes approximately two hours. The blood will flow from one arm to the collection instrument. There, the platelets will be removed from the blood and returned to the donor via the other arm (or the same arm). The process takes place in a sterile environment.

Who Can Donate?

The requirements for donating platelets are the same as for a regular blood donation.

Exceptions include that platelet donors cannot have aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, for at least 48 hours prior to the donation. These drugs greatly weaken the effectiveness of platelets and therefore of platelet transfusions. 

Does Blood Type Matter?

Since there are no red blood cells in a platelet product, we are not limited to using the same donor blood types as with red cells.

Make an Appointment Today!

Due to the time constraints for platelet donations, we require platelet donors to schedule their appointments.

Appointment times:

Monday - Friday:  6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday:  6:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
To make an appointment or for any questions, e-mail us, call 323-361-2441 or schedule your appointment online.

Very Important Notice

We do not allow individuals to donate platelets if they have taken aspirin or similar drugs in the two days prior to their donation.

Find out if your medications would prevent you from donating your platelets by checking our List of Medications Containing Aspirin.