July 30, 1999

Clayton Morin, a safety engineer from Essex, Mass., recently donated platelets at the MGH Blood Donor Center. Platelet donation is accomplished through a process called pheresis, in which whole blood is withdrawn from a donor, platelets are separated out from the whole blood (consisting of red and white blood cells, platelets and plasma) and the remaining blood components are returned to the donor.

Platelets are used in treating certain cancer and transplant patients, people with blood disorders such as aplastic anemia, and for a variety of surgical procedures. During chemotherapy and radiation, both cancer cells and healthy cells are destroyed, so patients need platelet transfusions to prevent bleeding or to fight infections. A single donor can provide enough platelets for one or two transfusions. Because the process can take almost three hours, recruiting platelet donors can be difficult.

"It is extremely important that we keep our blood and platelet supply at a safe and adequate level," says Carson. "We would like to encourage employees and visitors to help us ensure that our patients get the very best care possible by donating blood and platelets."

Morin with Richard Carson, director of Operations
for the MGH Blood Donor Center, standing.