Giving just got a little easier
New plasma machines improve donor experience
Plasma donors in Palmerston North are experiencing new donation machines that make the process more comfortable and a little faster. The seven machines – known as Aurora – are operating at the donor centre on Ruahine St.
Aurora is used by blood service providers overseas, including in Australia.
New Zealand Blood Service received approval from Medsafe to roll out Aurora after a comprehensive trial to ensure the machines were completely safe for donors.
Director of donor services Brett Paradine says upgrading the service’s fleet of plasma machines offers benefits to donors and collections staff including keeping up to date with improvements in technology.
“We know it can be tricky to schedule in a donation appointment around a busy work or personal schedule, but with these new machines each plasma donation will take a little less time thanks to the improved squeezing prompts and enhanced vein control that helps maximise flow,” he says.
“Some donors who have assisted in testing the machines have said that the process also felt gentler on their veins.”
A touch screen and an information panel provide continuous updates during the donation process making
the machine easier to operate.
“It also offers enhanced data collection from every donation that can be integrated into the clinical record for each donor, improving our reporting and supporting our move to a paperless process.”
The introduction of Aurora in New Zealand comes at a time when the need for plasma is higher than ever.
Plasma is the gold-coloured liquid that makes up just over half of our blood, and is responsible for carrying
blood cells, water, proteins and clotting factors around the body.
The blood service needs to collect more than 2600 plasma donations each week to meet demand.
On average, it is collecting about 1850 donations a week, so the service is encouraging more to donate.
Often referred to as liquid gold, plasma can be turned into 11 lifesaving treatments that can help cancer patients, trauma and burns victims, pregnant women and those with auto-immune diseases, bloodclotting issues and compromised immune systems.
The increased demand for plasma is driven by a growing need for immunoglobulins. Many patients who rely on immunoglobulins require lifelong treatment, some as frequently as once a week.
The blood service has ordered 137 Aurora machines to replace its Haemonetics machines, which have come to the end of their life.