| Apheresis Unit |
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| What We Do |
| At the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Apheresis Unit, we recruit normal healthy donors to participate in our Apheresis Program. White blood cells are needed and collected for research purposes for the NIA Intramural Research Program. You will be reimbursed $100.00 for each donation. |
| What Is Apheresis? |
| An Apheresis procedure is a special type of blood donation. Unlike a "whole blood" donation in which a unit of whole blood is removed from your body, the apheresis process connects you to a machine that removes a particular component and then returns the rest of the blood back to you. |
| What does apheresis mean to you as a donor? Let's take a look by starting with some definitions of terms: |
| The term apheresis means a withdrawal. The prefix Cyt- means a cell. Cytapheresis is the process of separating and withdrawing a particular cell from whole blood. |
| The prefix Leuk means white blood cells. |
| Leukaphereis is the process of separating and withdrawing white blood cells. This is the type of apheresis done at the NIA Apheresis Unit. |
| How to Become a Donor |
| Individuals interested in participating in the donor program should call the Apheresis Unit nurse at 410-350-3929 or email madarak@grc.nia.nih.gov. |
| The nurse will explain the procedure to you and answer any questions you may have. |
| The nurse will ask you questions about your health and medical history. If the report of your health and medical history are satisfactory and you are in good health, you will be scheduled for an evaluation. The evaluation process consists of: |
- assessment of your arms to see if veins are large enough.
- explanation of the protocol study.
- completion of a health history questionnaire and consent form.
- completion of protocol study consent.
- drawing of blood test samples.
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| You will be contacted 1-2 weeks after the completion of all tests. If you are eligible for this study, an appointment for donation may be made. |
| Facts About the Leukapheresis Procedure |
- An apheresis staff member will be with you throughout the procedure.
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- The procedure involves the insertion of a needle in each arm.
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- It takes about one and a half to two hours for a white cell apheresis procedure.
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- We encourage donors to eat a full meal before the procedure with special attention to eating foods high in calcium. This will decrease tingling of the face and fingertips that can occur due to the blood thinner that is used. Foods high in calcium include most of the dairy products such as milk, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt.
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- We recommend that donors drink extra fluids before and after the procedure. This will reduce the feeling of lightheadedness that can occur due to low blood pressure.
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- Pressure bandages are put on the needle sites after the needles are removed. The bandages remain for four hours.
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- You should avoid heavy lifting for twenty-four hours.
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- The interval between blood donations is 56 days.
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Harbor Hospital
3001 Hanover Street
Baltimore, MD 21225 |
