Patient Care
LifeShare Blood Centers provides four types of patient care services:
Patient Treatment Procedures
Physicians prescribe therapeutic procedures when a medical condition requires the removal or replacement of one or more components of the blood.
Therapeutic phlebotomy resulting in collecting one unit of whole blood can be performed at a blood center just like a blood donation. This is requested when a patient has too many red blood cells that interfere with circulation. In some cases, patients with Hereditary Hemochromatosis who require frequent phlebotomies may qualify as a donor for the collected whole blood unit to be donated for patient use.
Therapeutic apheresis procedures are performed to remove or replace larger volumes of blood. This procedure is always performed in a hospital setting using a specialized instrument and is used to treat the complications of diseases such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia, some neurological diseases and other illnesses.
Immunohematology Reference Consultation
Consultation services are provided to area hospitals to resolve complex antibody problems as well as to provide phenotyped red cells for patients with antibodies. The Reference Laboratory offers services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Compatibility Testing
This service is provided to dialysis centers, extended care facilities, and surgical centers. The Compatibility Testing Laboratory offers services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Mononuclear Cell Collection
LifeShare has partnered with Dendreon Corporation and area urologists and oncologists to help men fight prostate cancer. By physician referral, LifeShare performs a procedure called Mononuclear Cell (MNC) Collection. The MNCs collected are sent to a specialized processing center. The cells are then returned to the physician, who then returns the cells to the patient. This immunotherapy is used in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, using the patient’s own cells to battle prostate cancer.
