Platelet apheresis affects prothrombin time and plasminogen levels in healthy donors

There are few studies evaluating whether platelet apheresis has an effect on hemostasis parameters or not. The aim of this study was to define the effects of platelet apheresis on hemostasis screening tests and plasminogen levels. The study was performed on 40 healthy donors. We compared the values obtained before and after apheresis and observed that the prothombin time (PT) elongated, plasminogen levels decreased and the activated partial thromboplastin and thrombin times were not changed significantly. The differences were not high enough to cause any hemostasis problem. It can be hypothesized that platelet apheresis affects PT and plasminogen levels in healthy donors.