![]() ![]() Thus the standard of practice in the United States for the last 30 years or so has been to transfuse blood from volunteer donors, instead of donors selling plasma. Scientific studies in years past showed higher infectious disease rates in donors that were paid, than in unpaid donors. Hospitals in the United States have traditionally favored blood from non-paid donors and request blood from volunteer donors. The Food and Drug Administration does not ban the paying of blood donors, but requires paid donors to have labeling that identifies the unit as coming from such. Any time an incentive for a successful plasma donation is offered that is too attractive, the fear is that donors might not tell the truth about their health history or any high-risk behaviors. ![]() Historically, the paying of donors has been seen as a risk to the safety of the traditional blood supply for hospitals. I put “donor” in quotation marks because if one is selling plasma, then one might be considered a vendor, not a donor. These products, usually made in locations outside of the United States, are vital to medical treatments all over the world, including the United States, but are a highly processed product. This plasma is shipped to a manufacturing plant where it is pooled with plasma from 1000 or more other “donors” then processed to make products called plasma derivatives. People may choose to instead go to a commercial plasma center where they can “donate” plasma for money. Other than having an anti-clotting agent added, the plasma is not altered in any way – it is transfused to the patient in the same state it was collected from the donor. This is the type of plasma donation in which Carter BloodCare participates. Donated plasma may go directly to hospitals after testing and labeling at the blood center. ![]() Plasma is the liquid part of the blood, used for treating bleeding and other disorders. ![]()
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