Evidence‐based selection criteria to protect blood donors

Abstract

A safe and adequate blood supply depends on healthy, volunteer blood donors. Blood centers have instituted various screening procedures in an effort to determine that donors are free of diseases that can be transmitted to patients by blood transfusion and are able to tolerate the collection procedure without experiencing significant complications. This review focuses on selection criteria intended to minimize the risk to the blood donor. Defining a rational, evidence-based approach to donor selection is crucial not only to take reasonable precautions to protect the donors' health but also to eliminate practices that lead to the unnecessary deferral of large numbers of people without improving the safety of the donation process. Donor selection criteria, including predonation pulse and blood pressure, donor weight and total blood volume, minimum hemoglobin and donation interval, are considered against the available evidence that support or suggest the need to modify the current approach to protect blood donor health.

Donor Deferral Rates after the Implementation of a New German Blood Donor Questionnaire

“…This applied to both fixed and mobile collection sites. However, referring to the donor sex, we not only found higher initial deferral rates for females, confirming recent studies [4][5][6], but our data also indicate a more prominent increase in female versus male donors. Therefore additional studies will 18-29 and 30-39 year olds.…”

“…[2], our results provide evidence that not only debe needed in order to confirm our findings and investigate the relevant reasons. Likewise we found increased deferral rates in all age groups even though it seems to be more pronounced for the Donor Deferral Rates after the Implementation of a New German Blood Donor Questionnaire 21 probability of donor return [4,7], resulting in definite donor loss [8]. Moreover, this effect may even be intensified by the demographic change [9].…”

Blood Donor Deferral among Students in Northern Japan: Challenges Ahead

“…The donor screening process is very critical to protect the safety of the blood supply [6]. Recruitment, selection, and retention of voluntary non-remunerated donors from low-risk populations are the cornerstones of a safe, sustainable, and adequate national blood supply [7].…”

Transfusion Medicine-Blood Donor Selection, Testing, and Collection

“…Cardiovascular disease affects an estimated 79.4 million (1 in 3) Americans; not surprisingly, individuals with a cardiac history frequently present to donate whole blood or blood components (Eder, 2010). A history of cardiovascular disease is not a cause for deferral at most blood centers, if the donor has fully recovered, has been asymptomatic for at least 6 months, and has no restrictions on daily activities.…”

“…The FDA requires blood centers to measure blood pressure before donation, which must be within 'normal' limits. High blood pressure (>140/90 mmHg), however, affects almost a third of the US population, and blood centers currently accept donors with blood pressure that is outside what is desirable for good health (e.g., <180/100 mmHg) (Eder, 2010). Donors with blood pressure above or below healthy limits are not at greater risk of adverse reactions after donation than donors with normal blood pressure.…”