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(DAILY_WILDCAT)

By Erin McCusker
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 4, 1997

Donating plasma is not 'easy money'

Some students who donate their plasma for extra cash say it's not necessarily easy money.

John Leonard, an undeclared freshman, said he donated plasma because he was broke.

"I wouldn't do it again because it took four hours to do. It wasn't painful though," Leonard said.

The University Plasma Center, 1014 E. Sixth Ave., gives first-time donors $10, second-time donors $45, and third-time donors $25.

After that, the money the center gives a donor is dependent on the person's weight, according to a sign in the center.

Katie Seitz, a biochemistry senior, said she gave plasma a few times during her freshman year.

"I think they messed up. My whole arm was black-and-blue," she said.

Jimmy Hendricks, a spokesman for the Centeon Plasma Collection Network, said that some people may bruise from the plasma extraction process.

"Some people do bruise for various reasons - some are more susceptible to bruising than others," he said.

The needle used by the University Plasma Center is 16 gauge - large enough to see through, a plasma center lab technician said.

At the plasma center, a physician can treat a donor who has bruised, Hendricks said.

Seitz's sister, Deanna, an undeclared sophomore, also gave plasma for financial reasons.

"Well, I've only given plasma once and that was because I got $35 the first time. I thought the money wasn't bad. I don't know if I'd do it again," Deanna Seitz said.

"If you don't like needles, I wouldn't do it," she added.

Because human plasma cannot be synthesized in a laboratory, plasma companies are in need of donors, according to literature from the Centeon Plasma Collection Network.

Centeon, the company affiliated with the University Plasma Center, has locations in the midwest, the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys.

Most of these locations are generally near college towns because college campuses ensure large student and employed worker populations, according to Centeon literature.

The plasma Centeon collects goes toward treatments for hemophiliacs, shock victims, and blood clotting for wounds, Hendricks said.

Donors must be between 18 and 50 years old and in good health. They must be able to provide two forms of identification, not have any sexually transmitted diseases, and have no evidence of illicit drug use, according to the Centeon literature.

The University Plasma Center does not accept plasma from people who have gotten tattoos or body piercings within a year, and never accepts it from someone with a homemade tattoo. Donors must be between 110 and 350 pounds.

Plasmapheresis, the process of removing plasma from the blood, is done by the University Plasma Center with an autopheresis machine.

Using an autopheresis machine ensures faster and safer collection than manual methods, the Centeon literature stated.

The plasma removal process consists of withdrawing whole blood, mixing it with an anitcoagulant to prevent clotting, and centrifuging the blood to separate the plasma. Next, the donor's red blood cells are pumped back into his own vein. The entire process takes about 45 minutes.

Donors can only give plasma twice a week, with 48 hours between donations, the literature stated.

"Plasma is basically the water portion of blood consisting of protein and antibodies," said Ana Mammana, a Haemonetics nurse.

"It helps in maintaining fluid balance in the body. The proteins in plasma help keep the blood in the vascular system."

Haemonetics, 3915 E. Broadway Blvd., is a not-for-profit organization that takes donor's blood platelets and plasma for open-heart surgery and leukemia patients, Mammana said.

Mammana explained that Haemonetics does not pay their donors.

She said one possible side effect of removing too much plasma is dehydration.

"With anything there's always the risk of 'too much,'" Mammana said.


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