Apheresis is the process of separating blood into its individual elements in order to collect or remove the required element. The Apheresis Service is part of the tissue establishment of St James’s Hospital, which must, by law, meet the requirements of EU Directive 2004/23/EC, in relation to the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells. The service is licensed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (www.hpra.ie) and is subject to mandatory inspections every two years.
The Apheresis Room can cater for two patients at a time and is located in the Haematology Oncology Day Care Centre.
The care of all apheresis patients is overseen by a consultant haematologist. Scheduling of stem cell procedures takes place at a weekly transplant meeting in consultation with the Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinators.
On arrival in the Haematology Oncology Day Care Centre (HODC), you will be greeted by a clerical officer at reception, who will ask you to confirm your details (name, address, date of birth, contact person etc.) and who will register you for your appointment.
The HODC is managed by the HOPe (Haematology, Oncology and Palliative Care) Directorate Management Team. Given the nature of its services, the HODC has a specialist nursing and administrative team that works closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team to provide integrated patient-centred care.