From the Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) website.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/b...ews/5244506.htm
Making every drop count - Bloodless surgeries stopgap attempts to ease blood shortage. Real cure? More blood donors Sunday Akron Beacon Journal: February 23, 2003; By Tracy Wheeler, Beacon Journal medical writer
Conclusion
Doubling donations:
Double red blood cell collection -- called 2RBC -- could help balance the supply with that demand. As the name implies, the process collects twice as many red blood cells in one sitting -- two units as compared to the one unit collected in a traditional, whole blood donation. In 2RBC, blood is drawn into a special machine that separates the red blood cells from the plasma. The plasma is combined with saline and pumped back into the patient -- allowing more red blood cells to be harvested without severely lowering a patient's blood volume.
Because most of the fluid is replaced, there's no dizziness that tends to occur with traditional blood collections. Plus, the needle used is smaller. Collection takes about 20 to 25 minutes longer. After trying 2RBC once, Mark Nelson, a Navy recruiter from North Olmsted, won't donate blood any other way. ``When I gave blood last time, the original way, I would feel light-headed or tired when I was done,'' Nelson said. ``One time, I actually had to go sit down. This way (2RBC), you're given so many fluids back that I felt great. I actually felt better than when I walked in.'' The smaller needle is an added plus, he said, as is convenience. To reach the maximum donation using traditional methods, a donor has to give blood six times a year, or every eight weeks. With 2RBC, donors reach their maximum donations with just three visits a year, or every four months. ``As busy as I am,'' Nelson said. ``it's definitely a lot easier. Now I can do it every (four) months or so and still give the same amount.''
That raises the question: If blood banks ultimately get the same amount of red blood cells either way, what's the point of 2RBC? The answer, said LifeShare spokesperson Lisa Mayles, is that the average donor donates just 1.6 times a year, rather than the six times a year he or she could donate. So if they can get more red blood cells from those people when they show up, blood banks will have more in the end. LifeShare, which supplies blood to Mercy Medical Center and Doctors Hospital in Stark County, as well as the University Hospitals Health System, is the only blood bank in Northeast Ohio to offer 2RBC. The American Red Cross currently is testing the technology in five regions across the country. The problem is that the blood shortage itself is hampering 2RBC from helping solve it. The machines cost $21,000 apiece, Mayles said, and the blood shortage has forced most blood banks to buy blood from other sources, draining their budgets. ``It's crippled us financially,'' Mayles said. ``We have $50,000 to $75,000 budgeted each year for blood purchases. Last year we spent $259,000 on blood purchases that were unplanned for and we're still reeling from that.'' As important as 2RBC or bloodless surgery may be in protecting the nation's blood supply, it's the donors who are truly the most important.``In the end, whatever the technology and developments are, it basically comes down to a basic act of human kindness,'' said the Red Cross' Kelley.``It comes down to people who want to make a difference in somebody's life.''
Tracy Wheeler can be reached at 330-996-3721