A Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance manager of a West Coast blood collection center reports that his facility would like to know how other institutions qualify repeat platelet donors with regards to donor platelet counts, when platelets are collected by automated apheresis technology from individuals who donate more frequently than once every 8 weeks. According to the inquiring colleague, AABB Standard 5.5.3.5.2 of the 23rd edition of Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services states that the results of a platelet count performed either before or after a procedure may be used to qualify the donor for the next procedure. However, the 1988 memorandum from the FDA entitled "Revised Guidelines for the Collection of Platelets, Pheresis" suggests that a platelet count be performed prior to the initial platelet collection, and a platelet count should be performed and the results reviewed prior to the donor's undergoing each subsequent procedure, although counts obtained after the previous procedure may serve this purpose. A third source which the inquiring colleague has a hard copy of (Guide to Platelet and Plasma Collections Gambro BCT, Inc., issued in August 2001 page 2-15) suggests that an average of the three previous platelet counts be used. The West Coast blood banker wants to know how other organizations qualify donors based platelet counts.

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Ira A. Shulman, MD
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