jueves, 1 de septiembre de 2016

Breaking down blood: Platelets | Health.mil

Breaking down blood: Platelets | Health.mil

Health.mil

Breaking down blood: Platelets

Airman Brenda Prudencio, 81st Force Support Squadron customer support specialist, has her blood drawn by Amber Horne, 81st Diagnostic and Therapeutics Squadron medical lab technician, during a blood drive at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.

Airman Brenda Prudencio, 81st Force Support Squadron customer support specialist, has her blood drawn by Amber Horne, 81st Diagnostic and Therapeutics Squadron medical lab technician, during a blood drive at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. In an average healthy adult, red blood cells far outnumber platelets in the blood. Unlike whole blood, platelets have a much shorter shelf life and must be transfused within five days of collection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)



BLood, made up of both liquids and solids, is a vital tissue of the human body. It carries oxygen, forms clots on wounds and helps fight off infections. It can also be a lifesaving treatment for someone who is ill or injured. 
In an average healthy adult, red blood cells far outnumber platelets in the blood. In fact, according to the Merck Medical Manuals, it is a “ratio of about one platelet to every 20 red blood cells.” So why exactly are these small cells so important? 
First and foremost, platelets aren’t actually cells. 
According to the American Society of Hematology, platelets – also known as thrombocytes – are “small fragments of cells” that help control bleeding by gathering at the site of an injury.  These “sticky” particles adhere to the lining of an injured blood vessel and “form a platform on which blood coagulation can occur.”  
Coagulation then leads to what is known as a fibrin clot that covers a wound and stops blood from leaking out, ASH says. “Fibrin also forms the initial scaffolding upon which new tissue forms, thus promoting healing.”  
For these reasons, platelets are an important blood component for the Armed Services Blood Program. Because these “cell-like fragments” are so important for clotting, they can often times be the difference between life and death for an injured service member on the battlefield.  
However, the ASBP doesn’t only use platelets for severely wounded service members on the battlefield. Thousands of patients with life-threatening illnesses – such as leukemia, anemia, cancer and other diseases of the blood – are in need of lifesaving platelet transfusions.  
Bone marrow malfunction or chemotherapy treatment can leave a patient’s body unable to produce platelets. Although platelets do not cure a disease, they provide time for treatments to work, a cure to be found or the time necessary for patients to produce their own platelets again.
“Unlike whole blood, platelets have a much shorter shelf life and must be transfused within five days of collection,” said Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, ASBP director. “Therefore, we have a constant need for platelet donors. Regular donors help ensure platelets are always available whenever and wherever they are needed the most.”  
While whole blood can only be donated once every 56 days – or about six times a year – platelets can be donated up to 24 times every year.  Donors who meet the criteria to donate whole blood, are likely able to donate platelets, as well. The only difference is that platelet donors cannot take aspirin 72 hours before a donation or ibuprofen 24 hours before.  
Al Whitney is an avid supporter of the ASBP and a regular platelet donor. He began donating whole blood and platelets in the late 1960s and early 1970s; but in 2007 he created his “Platelets Across America” campaign with a goal of donating platelets in every state. He accomplished that goal in only five years, and now aspires to donating at every ASBP donor center, too. 
“A father will walk his daughter down the aisle, a mother will see her son graduate, a child will go home from the hospital with their parents, all because of what you do,” Whitney said. 
The emerging world of cold-store platelets  
In June 2015, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the use of cold-stored apheresis platelets for the resuscitation of bleeding patients – a huge advancement for military medicine.  
Blood loss is the leading cause of death on the battlefield, and until the protocol change by the FDA, only room-temperature platelets were allowed for use in trauma patients. This means, that the platelets could only be stored for five days. Bacteria could form in those five days, and therefore hospitals would need to test the unit before transfusion. Cold storage of platelets, however, allows for the use of platelets immediately, without testing.  
"Down the line, ‘extra life’ from platelets could easily translate into fewer lives lost on the battlefield,” said Dr. Heather Pidcoke, the deputy task area manager of the Coagulation and Blood Research Program at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research.  
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.




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Blood donated at the North Fort Hood Mobilization Center by mobilizing Soldiers  will be processed and shipped for use by service members in Kuwait, Afghanistan and other regions where U.S. forces are deployed. (U.S. Army photo by Nick Conner)
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Breaking down blood: Plasma

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Donors with type A, B or AB blood are often times good candidates to donate plasma. Type AB plasma is known as “universal plasma” which means that it can be received by anyone, regardless of their blood type. (U.S. Army photo by Nick Conner)
Donors with type A, B or AB blood are often times good candidates to donate plasma –type AB plasma is known as “universal plasma” which means that it can be received by anyone, regardless of their blood type
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Health and Human Services officials visit Walter Reed Donor Center for pathogen reduction demonstration

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Dr. Karen Scott (center), chief medical officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services, visits the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to review the first U.S. Department of Defense pathogen reduction technology.
HHS officials review the first DoD pathogen reduction system
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New regulation may open doors for mothers to donate platelets, plasma

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A service member is prepped to donate at a collection center. While there is still a chance that women who have been pregnant will be deferred from donating, the new HLA test opens the door for women to consider donating platelets and plasma for the first time in many years. (Courtesy photo)
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New joint blood donation center operational in San Antonio

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Army Lt. Col. Audra Taylor (center, left), director of the Army Blood Program, Navy Capt. Roland Fahie (center), director of the Armed Services Blood Program, and Air Force Lt. Col. Angela Hudson (center, right), director of the Air Force Blood Program, cut the ribbon at the new Armed Services Blood Bank Center-San Antonio, May 16.
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Presentation
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Armed Services Blood Program Research and Development Initiatives

Presentation
6/2/2016
Armed Services Blood Program-Research and Development Initiatives
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Pathogen reduction technology helps combat blood borne disease

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ASBP Logo
New pathogen reduction technologies are helping to mitigate risks to the blood supply
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Military blood program helps open transfusion center in Cambodia

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Army Maj. Gen. Todd McCaffrey, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific Command cuts the ribbon at the new Provincial Blood Transfusion Center located in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.
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Donor Self-deferral Information Sheet to Reduce the Risk of Transfusion-transmitted Zika

Publication
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This info sheet is to give to potential blood donors who have traveled to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America in the last 28 days. BPL 16-02, Attachment 2
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Post-donation Information Sheet

Publication
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This info sheet is to provide to blood donors after they give blood. BPL 16-02, Attachment 3
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Blood, platelet donor and ‘Ted E. Bear’ spread joy, save lives

Article
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Ted E. Bear, a teddy bear that travels with “Platelets Across America” founder Al Whitney, is a symbol of the importance of blood donations. The story behind Ted E. Bear began when Whitney bought a teddy bear for a young girl in need of a white blood cell donation.
Al Whitney has been a blood donor since 1965; in 2007 he started a journey – Platelets Across America – his mission to donate platelets in every state
Related Topics: Armed Services Blood Program

Guidance Regarding Zika Dengue and Chikungunya Viruses

Policy
This guidance contains information about the potential for transfusion-transmitted Zika infection; recommends facilitating donor self-deferral of 28 days after travel to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

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