'Female friendly' machines boost Birmingham plasma donors

The new machines make it safe for smaller and lighter women to donate blood

The number of women donating blood in Birmingham has quadrupled following the introduction of "female friendly" machines, figures show.

The apparatus enables smaller and lighter women to make donations, the Birmingham plasma donor centre said.

There are now 402 female donors in the city, compared to fewer than 100 before the new kit was introduced in August.

The machines have transformed how many females can donate, bosses at the centre said.

Smaller amounts of blood are taken at a time and plasma is filtered more quickly, they added.

Plasma, which is yellow in colour, is rich in antibodies

"They are faster and take less blood at a time, so many more people meet the new rules on height and weight," added manager Mark Bailey.

Previously, a woman of around average height at 5ft 4in (1.6m) tall had to weigh 12 stone 8lbs (79kg) to make a donation. Now, a woman of the same height only needs to weigh 9 stone (57kg) to donate safely.

Female donors now make up 29% of the active donor base in Birmingham, in comparison to about 8% previously, figures show.

Supply pressures

Plasma is the liquid that carries blood cells around the body. Donations of the substance are developed into a medicine called immunoglobulin, which helps strengthen or stabilise the immune system.

About 1,300 people in the West Midlands receive immunoglobulin each year, including more than 500 from Birmingham, said NHS Blood and Transplant.

The special health authority is taking plasma donations to bolster long-term immunoglobulin supplies to NHS hospitals, following international supply pressures.

There had been a ban on using plasma from UK donors for more than 20 years to safeguard against vCJD, or mad cow disease, but rules changed last year.

There are also plasma donor centres in Reading and Twickenham.