Blood platelet donations vital in deployed environment

Staff Sgt. Ryan Eands, a surveillance technician with the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, holds a squishy stress ball during a platelet donation, at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, March 4, 2010. Sergeant Eands has made nine donations during his deployment. The procedure takes approximately one and a half to two hours and the donor will receives back most of their blood. Sergeant Eands is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is a native of Denver, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Linda C. Miller/Released)

Blood platelet donations vital in deployed environment

Sgt. Daniel Llenas, a lab technician with the 932nd Blood Support Detachment, prepares an arm resting table for a platelet donor at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, March 4, 2010. The technicians use an Apheresis machine that spins the blood and separates the platelets. The procedure takes approximately one and a half to two hours and the donor will receives back most of their blood. Sergeant Llenas is deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, and is a native of Juneau, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Linda C. Miller/Released)

Blood platelet donations vital in deployed environment

Published March 9, 2010
By Airman 1st Class Allison M. Boehm
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- When a servicemember is critically injured in Iraq or Afghanistan and in need of a blood transfusion, it is the responsibility of the 932nd Blood Support Detachment here to ensure units of blood platelets are collected and shipped out to the wounded.

Platelets are one of the most important parts of the blood -- they are a main coagulation factor and can play a vital role in saving lives. Since it's impossible to know when servicemembers will be wounded, having a reserve of platelets is crucial.

"We need a stock on the shelves in case of a mass casualty," said Army Sergeant Daniel Llenas, 932nd BSD apheresis NCO in charge. "When we receive donations it goes to trauma victims who are losing a lot of blood. We give them red blood cells and platelets to slow the bleeding and prevent hemorrhaging, which is important because hemorrhaging is one of the main factors of deaths here in Iraq."

Since the shelf life of donated platelets is only good for five days, servicemembers of the 932nd BSD are always in need of donors.

"We need to keep our reserve stocked just in case something happens," said Sergeant Llenas. "We keep our supply in a platelet incubator and if it sits for too long the donation will clump up and be unusable."

For that reason, they depend on donations from deployed servicemembers like Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Eanes, 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron surveillance technician.

"This is the easiest way to help save someone's life," said Sergeant Eanes. "All you have to do is sit here for a couple hours -- it doesn't get easier than that. The bottom line is this saves lives and helps someone in need."

Anyone can donate after their blood is screened to ensure no diseases are passed to the platelet recipient. To screen donors, the detachment draws four tubes of blood and it takes two weeks for the results to come back.

To donate, contact the 932nd Blood Support Detachment at 443-2828.