Isolating Platelets from Blood via the Aphaeresis Method at MAHAK

Isolating Platelets from Blood via the Aphaeresis Method at MAHAK

Another good news: the isolation of platelets from blood via the aphaeresis method is being conducted at  MAHAK Hospital to benefit children with cancer who require bone marrow transplantation.

Aphaeresis refers to a procedure in which blood is taken from a donor and after extracting the platelets, other blood components are returned to the donor’s body. The importance of this procedure is that it plays a critical role in the blood and platelet compatibility between the donor and the recipient, reducing the sensitivity and risk of rejection in the recipient’s body.

Children suffering from cancer may need an injection of this blood component if they experience a drop in blood platelets during treatment and after procedures such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell transplantation.  One of the products for platelet supply is donated blood, on which the process of isolating platelets has been carried out. In this conventional procedure, each ordinary bag of platelets prepared from the blood of different donors is extracted; it also needs a number of platelet units in one patient. In addition to increasing the danger of suffering from other diseases, it is possible that through the course of treatment, this procedure may cause sensitivity and resistance in the patient’s body.

However another method for collecting and storing platelets is platelet aphaeresis, the process of receiving platelets from one donor exclusively. In this procedure, it is necessary that the donor provides blood on a voluntary basis. The difference between receiving platelets from extracting platelets from bags of donor blood is that the source of platelets is one individual and that more platelets are donated. Therefore, useful platelets are better protected and when they enter the recipient’s body, the variety of antigens is less. In terms of repairing and correcting platelet deficiency, they are more successful.

Eligible donors who wished to donate their platelets to children suffering from cancer were invited via MAHAK website to receive free blood compatibility tests.

It is our great pleasure to inform that there were enough blood donors in less than a week; donors’ names and traits has been placed on the MAHAK’s list of platelet donors so that any time children suffering from cancer need platelets this list will be consulted and platelets will be provided via the aphaeresis method. To date, this measure towards treatment has been implemented on several occasions.

MAHAK charity-care organization thanks all members of its family who in different ways interminably support children suffering from cancer. MAHAK hopes that patients and their families benefit from the best, most up-to-date and most effective treatment methods as well as the most complete support services with the objective to attain complete recovery.