Donate plasma: you should know that

Donating plasma is gentler than donating whole blood – and just as important for many people. Here you will find the most important facts about plasma donation and what you should pay attention to.

Blood plasma is the yellowish-transparent liquid that makes up over half of our blood. Since plasma forms the basis for many vital drugs, plasma donations are essential for many people.

For the body is a plasma donation compared to Whole blood donation gentler. Because while the regular blood donation takes whole blood, only the blood plasma, i.e. the blood fluid, is of interest for a plasma donation. The cellular components of the blood – the red and white blood cells as well as the platelets – are returned through the same cannula returned to the bloodstream. This means that there is only one puncture site that acts as an outlet and inlet cannula. The blood is therefore withdrawn or returned in several cycles.

The process in which plasma and cellular blood components are separated is called Plasmapheresis. The body can replace the plasma within two days, which is why plasma donations are much more common than whole blood donations. In Germany you can do so at least 48 hours apart up to twice a week donate. Up to 60 donations are possible per year.

Why is plasma donation so important?

Plasma donations are always needed because the blood fluid contains important plasma proteins. These are essential for the manufacture of certain drugs for seriously ill people. This is how people are weakened Immune defense or people with bleeding disorders depend on plasma preparations.

Who can donate plasma?

In Germany, anyone who feels fit and healthy is allowed to donate plasma between 18 and 68 years is old and at least 50 kilograms weighs. If you are over 68 you need a medical certificate to make a donation. The maximum age for the first donation is 60 years, although exceptions are possible with medical approval. In addition, in order to donate plasma, you usually need to have previously donated blood.

You are not allowed to donate in the case of certain acute or past infectious diseases, but also alcohol or drug addiction within the last six months and certain severe chronic diseases are exclusion criteria.

In some cases, you may also temporarily not be allowed to donate. To the Provision reasons These include infections, dental treatments, operations, medication and antibiotics, vaccinations, recent piercings, tattoos or acupuncture treatments, travel abroad, pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as high-risk sexual behavior. Find out in advance whether and for how long you will be deferred in such a case. For example, if you have survived an infection with fever or diarrhea, you should wait at least four weeks until your next blood or plasma donation.

By the way: Blood and plasma donations are also urgently needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are healthy, you can therefore continue to donate plasma despite the pandemic and counteract the low donor numbers.

Here’s how to prepare to donate plasma

It is important that you do the donation before drink enough and only low-fat food take to you. Because fat droplets in the blood make it difficult to separate the blood into plasma and cellular blood components (red and white blood cells and platelets). If the food was very high in fat before the donation, this can be recognized by the cloudiness of the plasma.

The plasma donation takes around 30 to 45 minutes, a little longer than the whole blood donation. To pass the time, you can bring a book or magazines or use your smartphone with one hand.

Where can I donate plasma?

You can donate plasma as well as whole blood in university clinics, numerous hospitals, at the blood donation service of the German Red Cross or in municipal or private blood donation centers. In addition, mobile blood donation services are always offered at various locations within Germany, so that you can donate on certain dates in your area. To find a blood donation service near you, you can use the search function on the website of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), where all donation centers in Germany are shown on a map.

How does a plasma donation work?

In principle, the plasma donation proceeds in a similar way to the blood donation. The big difference is that the cellular blood components are returned directly to the body. Depending on your body weight it will be about 650 to 850 milliliters Plasma donated what average 30 to 45 minutes take. You should allow another half an hour for the registration and preliminary examination.

1. Every donation starts with the registration. Your personal data will be recorded here when you donate for the first time. It is therefore important that you bring a valid original photo ID with you.
2. Before making the first donation, fill out a questionnaire and submit to one medical examination. With the first donation, blood will be drawn from you and sent to the laboratory for examination. After about a week, the test results are available and you can start your first donation.
3. Your blood pressure, pulse and body temperature will also be checked during the health check before you donate. In addition, body weight and hemoglobin value are determined. in the medical interview you can then ask questions and discuss ambiguities.
4. If the doctor gives the OK, the actual donation begins. As a donor, you decide which arm you want to use and lie down on a lounger. The authorized personnel disinfects the crook of the arm and places a cuff on the upper arm to create a congestion of blood. Now a vein is punctured. Sterile disposable material is used for this. After one or more test tubes for laboratory tests have been filled, the actual plasma donation takes place. The blood is centrifuged in a machine, the so-called plasmapheresis device, which separates the lighter plasma from the heavier blood components. The remaining blood is returned to the body.
5. During the decrease you should be diligent with your hand pumpto stimulate blood flow. After the desired amount of plasma has been extracted (the bag is continuously weighed) or the maximum duration of a donation has been exceeded, the device stops and you finally receive an infusion to compensate for the loss of fluid.
6. Now the puncture site is being supplied with a pressure bandage and you should still stay there for a few minutesto prevent circulatory problems. Avoid getting up too quickly. A doctor is always present at the donation site and donors are monitored around the clock. This allows you to react quickly if you feel uncomfortable or if you feel dizzy.
7. At the end of each donation, you can decide again whether you really want to release your plasma. If you have any doubts, you can anonymously withdraw your donation via the “confidential self-exclusion” function.
8. Many blood donation services will give you one Expense allowance for blood or plasma donations.

After the donation

Since the body has to replace the removed plasma, it is normal for you to feel a little weak after the donation. With enough rest and relaxation, however, this should normalize again – so start the day calmly and be particularly careful in traffic. Also, be careful after the donation sufficient to eat and drink plentyso that your body can regenerate.

After the donation, the blood plasma is tested in the laboratory for certain pathogens (for example, infection with HIV, hepatitis or syphilis must be ruled out). If anything abnormal is found, you will be informed by the blood donation service.

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