I donated blood (whole blood) for the first time like 4 weeks ago. Two weeks later, they called me asking if I could also donate platelets soon. I did so yesterday. While donating, I was asked if I would be willing to donate again in the near future. I said that I would, and they asked if I would be willing to donate platelets again, since that’s what’s in short supply, because of its short shelf life.
Why would they want platelets more than whole blood?
When I donate whole blood, can’t the platelets from that be used?
I would imagine it has something to do with the quantity of platelets that they receive through that donation process, but if the shelf life is much shorter for lone platelets, and the process is grueling (it took 2.5 hours as opposed to 15 minutes, and I felt horrible during), why not just ask for whole blood donations then isolate platelets from there?
In: Biology
It takes 90-120 days to replace all of your RBCs, it only takes 10 days to replace platelets. By only taking platelets you can donate much more frequently.
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