Baptist Employee First in Mississippi to Make Apheresis Donation Using United Blood Services' New Technology

Contact: Robby Channell, 601-968-5135 rchannell@mbhs.org

Jackson, Miss - May 18, 2004 - Alex Chapman, a medical equipment technician in Baptist's Bio-Med division, was the first Mississippian to donate platelets using the Gambro BCT's innovative portable Trima Automated Blood Collection System performed by United Blood Services. This historical event was performed on May 13, 2004 at Baptist Medical Center's quarterly blood drive.

"When you donate whole blood, your gift can separate in its components of red cells, platelets, and plasma. Each meets a different and very important medical need," said Susan Morris, United Blood Services marketing and communications specialist. "When you make a platelet apheresis donation, you give platelets, the clotting factor that is important to cancer patients, surgery and trauma patients."

With the new portable Trima automated technology, United Blood Services can maximize the donor's gift. It allows them to draw multiple life-saving products, enabling the donor to give more than one unit of platelets as well as a unit of whole blood. Trima is transportable, and its flexibility allows you to collect one or all of these components in any combination, on a single platform, in a single procedure, from a single donor. Regardless of the collection protocol, Trima returns unneeded components to the donor, enabling more frequent donation. The donation time is a little longer than a regular blood donation, about an hour and a half. Donors can help more patients through donating in this method.

"This system is significant because for the first time we are able to be mobile in the collection of blood platelets," Morris said. "This type of equipment was previously not transportable, but now we can take the Trima with us when we set up blood drives, making the chance to donate platelets much more accessible to our donors throughout the community."

Morris added that there is a high demand for blood platelet donors. With this new system, she anticipates an increase in this type of donation.

For more information contact United Blood Services at 1-800-880-2482. In Jackson, the donor center is located at 2301 Lakeland Drive. The phone number is (601) 939-3336.

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