Donating a Double-Platelet product means a donor gives enough platelets during a plateletapheresis collection to be used as two therapeutic doses. With one donation two patients each of who need a platelet transfusion are helped. Two platelet units may also be given to one patient. The volume of the product will be only slightly more than the volume of a single product or about the same as the volume of a unit of whole blood. The volume lost by the donor is replaced with normal saline and anticoagulant during the collection process. All red blood cells are returned to the donor.

Only donors with high platelet counts are eligible to donate double platelets. Apheresis instruments collect only a small percentage of the donor’s circulating platelets from the blood and the platelet count is up to pre-donation level usually within 48 hours. Blood is collected at each donation to check the platelet count.

The procedure takes about 15–20 minutes longer than a single platelet product collection.

Some benefits of double products are:

• Reduces the patient’s exposure to multiple blood donors (one donation replaces 6-10 whole blood donors’ pooled platelets).
• Serves twice as many patients than with a single donation.

Criteria for Donating Double Platelet Product

• Age: 17 years or older
• Weight: minimum 110 lbs
• Iron Level: must be at least 38%
• Platelet count: must be at least 150,000

How Often Can I Give?
Generally a person may donate double platelets 24 times a year.

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