3 Things to Know About Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation 

 

When most people think of the Bone Marrow Donor Registry, they often picture a scary surgical procedure. Did you know that nowadays the most common method for donating to blood cancer patients in need of a transplant is Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation? It’s a simple, less invasive, process that many people realize and it it plays a critical role in saving lives.

Non-Surgical Procedure 

Blood is drawn from one arm and passed through an apheresis machine. An apheresis machine filters out the blood stem cells. Once filtered, the blood is returned back into the body through the other arm.  

Lasts 4 to 8 Hours 

Before donation, you’ll get an injection to increase the number of stem cells in your blood. The Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation procedure takes 4-8 hours. The process takes most of a day, but the impact lasts a lifetime. 

Most Common Donation Type 

There are two methods of donation: Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation, and Bone Marrow Donation. 80% of donors are asked to donate via Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation, making it the most common donation type.  

Donating via Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation is a simple yet powerful way to make an impact. By swabbing onto the Bone Marrow Donor Registry, you have the power to give someone a second chance at life.  

If you are interested in learning more about Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation, click here.