Apheresis Unit Receives OPE Award
By Anastazia Hartman | March 19Pathology’s Apheresis unit is one of the few areas in pathology with direct patient care contact. Apheresis is the process of removing blood from patients, which is then separated into its components while the donor is still connected to the separation device using a centrifuge or a rotating belt. The blood components are separated based on density. Red blood cells are the densest, so they collect at the bottom, followed by white cells, platelets, and finally plasma. Depending on the patient’s needs, a specific component of the blood is then removed with the rest being returned to the patient. This process is used to treat conditions such as sickle cell disease, leukemia, myasthenia gravis, and thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura (TTP), among others. In addition, apheresis is used to collect stem cells from patients with various types of blood cancers. The cells are then frozen and stored while the patient undergoes chemotherapy. When this is completed, the stem cells are returned to the patient, where they usually come back healthy.
Our Apheresis Unit’s faculty and staff take excellent care of the patients who come through their doors. Their dedication and compassion were recently recognized by Michigan Medicine’s Office of Patient Experience as they were awarded as one of the top two sites for performance on the patient experience metric for the past two quarters. Keith Gran, Chief Patient Experience Officer, and Devin Uppert, OPE Administrative Director presented members of the Apheresis Team with their award on March 19, 2024.
Please join us in honoring our faculty and staff in Apheresis for this award. Congratulations on this well-deserved award!
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