Is Donating Plasma Bad?

Plasma takes up about 55 percent of one's blood volume. Plasma donations are commonly performed in such a way that whole blood is withdrawn, the plasma is separated out, and the blood cells are returned to the donor through a separate needle. Why would infusion of blood without red blood cells help a recipient? Hemophiliacs lack clotting ability, an ability that the platelets of plasma transfusion provide. Also, in emergencies, plasma provides heavy bleeders with more clotting ability and a restoration of blood volume without nearly the mistyping danger of a whole-blood infusion.

Payment

• Some donation centers pay plasma donors. Because plasma is regenerated in the body much faster than red blood cells, plasma can be donated every 2-3 days. When paid, donors can expect to receive $20-35 in the U.S. Those who give on a regular basis tend to be poor, which is where the stigma of plasma donations originates---suggesting in some people's minds infusion of unscreened plasma from indigent drug abusers or TB-infected homeless, as opposed to struggling artists or students.

Harm to Recipient

• Donors are heavily screened before plasma donations, including a blood test, thus protecting recipients from blood-borne diseases.

  As for the threat of type mismatch, plasma does contain antibodies that may cause clumping when mixed with incompatible blood types; however, in most cases transfused plasma rapidly dilutes, minimizing the risk of clumping. Plasma can usually be used safely without type testing.

Help to Donor Health

• In addition to protecting the recipient, the screening process can help the donor---specifically, to identify illnesses. A donor may be unaware of a blood disease, or may have an illness but not know the cause. The former can be helped with testing of a sample of donor blood and the latter with the pre-donation questionnaire.

Harm to Donor

• In addition to charges that for-profit center prey upon the poor, it has further been alleged that the profit drive induces centers to hire inadequate staff that may hurt the donor by improper needle insertion. There is a risk that an inexperienced or poorly trained phlebotomist can insert a needle through a vein and out the other side, reintroduce blood into tissue under pressure instead into a vein, sever nerves, and so on. Temporary soreness, however, is by far the more common occurrence.

Self-protection

• Nurses and doctors train to draw blood over and over. Yet, even they can have trouble finding some people's veins, so a donor may especially want to avoid untrained phlebotomists. A donor who is concerned can donate instead at hospitals or non-profit centers.