EFFECT OF PLATELETPHERESIS ON PLATELET COUNT IN DONORS

Background: Platelet transfusion plays a vital role in the management of patients with hematological malignancies, oncological treatments, major surgeries, and organ transplants. Plateletpheresis has become increasingly popular for obtaining single donor platelets (SDP) due to its ability to yield high-quality products. However, the procedure may temporarily alter the donor’s hematologic profile, especially platelet count. Monitoring these changes is essential to ensuring donor safety and maintaining sustainable donation practices. Objective: To determine the mean change in platelet count in healthy donors one hour after undergoing plateletpheresis. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Blood Bank and Hematology Laboratory at Lahore General Hospital. A total of 60 healthy donors aged 19–45 years, meeting standard eligibility criteria, were included. Venous blood samples (3 mL) were collected under aseptic conditions in K₂EDTA vacutainers before and one hour after the plateletpheresis procedure. Platelet counts were measured using the Nihon Kohden MEK 9100 hematology analyzer. Plateletpheresis was performed using the Fresenius Kabi COM.TEC C5L HemoCare system. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. A paired sample t-test was applied to evaluate the difference in platelet counts pre- and post-donation, considering p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Among the 60 donors, 59 (98.3%) were male and 1 (1.7%) was female. The mean age was 35.2 ± 10.8 years, and 8 donors (13.3%) were repeat participants. The mean platelet count prior to donation was 289.5 ± 51.2 × 10⁹/L, which decreased significantly to 218.0 ± 48.6 × 10⁹/L one-hour post-procedure (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Plateletpheresis causes a statistically significant reduction in donor platelet counts shortly after the procedure, emphasizing the need for post-donation monitoring and guidelines to ensure donor safety.