This document discusses blood donor types and blood donation safety. There are four main types of blood donors: voluntary non-remunerated donors who donate without payment; replacement donors who donate for a specific patient; professional donors who are paid; and autologous donors who donate for their own planned procedures. Ensuring donor safety involves screening donors through medical history questionnaires and health checks before acceptance. Certain medical conditions and high risk behaviors require deferral periods before a donor can be accepted. Maintaining the safety of both donors and recipients is crucial.

1. Presented by: Dr. Nidhi Varma

2.  Blood collection is the most important and
essential function of blood transfusion services
and accordingly its organization should be given
due attention.
 The source of blood transfusion is donors.

3. There are four types of blood donors:
 Voluntary non-remunerated donors
 Replacement or relative donors
 Professional or commercial donors
 Autologous donors

4.  These are the people who donate blood without
any pressure and monetary benefit for unknown
patients. Such donors are important for blood
transfusion services because:
• They belong to the low risk category
• They are mostly willing to be on the panel of
regular blood donors.
• They mostly respond to appeals during
emergencies.

5.  These are members of a family/friend who donate
their blood in replacement of the blood needs of
the particular patient.
 Such donors come forward mostly for specific
purpose of helping their relative/friend.
 At times, donors request that their blood should
be given to specific patients. Such donations are
called Directed Donations. It is advisable to avoid
such donations, except in certain circumstances.

6.  These are people who receive direct or indirect
monetary benefit for the blood they donate.
 These blood donors often conceal the truth about
their illness, previous donations and personal life,
thus contributing to unsafe blood supply.
 These also donate blood more frequently than
recommended and thus supply substandard units
of blood which may give little or no benefit to the
recipient.

7.  Autologous donation is the collection of blood
from a patient in advance of scheduled surgery for
transfusion during or after the procedure to
compensate for the expected blood loss.
 It prevents immune reactions and transmission of
blood-borne pathogens from allogenic donors.
 However it is not completely free from risk as
bacterial contamination could still occur.

8.  The blood transfusion services or blood bank has a
responsibility to ensure the protection of the blood
donor and transfusion recipient.
 Accordingly the donor should be selected on the
basis of following two important things:
• Medical history
• Preliminary health check

9.  Before taking medical history, it is important to
inform all potential donors about health
conditions and high risk behaviours which make
them unsuitable to donate blood. The information
should be displayed in the form of posters in
various languages.
 After preliminary information about blood
donation, if the donor appears healthy, the Blood
Donor Consent Form (questionnaire) is filled by
donor himself or the donor clinic staff
(interviewer) and evaluated for accepting,
temporary deferral or rejection by medical officer.

11. Some important points covered in the history are:
 If the donor is feeling well today
 Did he eat something in the last 4 hours
 Did he sleep well last night
 History of intake of alcohol, drugs like aspirin,
steroids or any vaccinations in the past 72 hours.
 History of unexplained weight loss, continuous low
grade fever, swollen glands or persistent diarrhoea
in the past 6 months.
 History of ear piercing, dental extraction or
tattooing in the past 6 months.

12.  History of conditions like heart diseases, lung
disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver
disease, STDs, jaundice, abnormal bleeding
tendencies, cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, malaria,
typhoid, etc.
 History of major or minor surgery or blood
transfusion in the past 6 months.
 For women donors, it is important to ask history
of pregnancy, any abortions in the last 3 months
or children less than 1 yr old.

14.  Helps to collect same information systematically
from each donor.
 Donor clinical staff does not forget to ask some
important questions.
 It helps donor clinic staff to make quick
assessment whether to accept, temporarily defer
or permanently reject the donor.

15.  It is important to make preliminary health check
up of the donor before donation, in order to make
an assessment of their health status and not solely
depend on what donors tell in their medical
history.
 The following parameters should be checked each
time the donor comes to donate blood.

16. General appearance The donor should be in good health
Age Donors should be between the age of 18-60 years
Weight
Donors weighing 45 kg can give 350 ml of blood
and those weighing 55 kg and above may give 450
ml of blood
Blood pressure
The systolic blood pressure should be between
100-180 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure
should be between 50-100 mm of Hg
Pulse
The pulse should be between 60-100 beats per
minute and regular
Temperature Oral temperature should not exceed 37.5°C
Physical assessment of the
donor
Look for any skin rashes and swollen glands
Scar of needle pricks at venipuncture site might
indicate either drug addiction or frequent blood
donations in professional donors
Hemoglobin estimation Hb should not be less than 12.5 gm/dl

17.  Heart disease
 Kidney disease
 Epilepsy
 Anemia
 Ulcers
 Circulatory problems
 Diabetes
 Menstrual problems (excessive bleeding)
 Pregnancy
 Breast feeding

18.  Similarly, it would be harmful for the recipient, if
donor is having history of any of following
diseases -
• Hepatitis
• Sexually transmitted disease
• Recent vaccination
• Active tuberculosis
• Malaria
• HIV/AIDS
• Lung disease
• Recent history of blood transfusion or surgery
• Unexplained weight loss

19. CONDITIONS FOR DEFERRAL PERIOD OF DEFERRAL
History of blood transfusion 6 months
Minor surgery 3 months
Major surgery 6 months
Alcoholism Till intoxicated
Typhoid 6 months after recovery
History of malaria & duly treated
3 months (endemic)
6 months (non endemic)
History of hepatitis in family or close
contact
6 months

20. CONDITIONS FOR DEFERRAL PERIOD OF DEFERRAL
Immunizations (cholera, typhoid,
diphtheria, tetanus, plague, etc)
24 hours after symptom free
Rabies vaccination 1 year after bite
Acute nephritis 6 months after recovery
Breast feeding 6 months after delivery
Abortion 6 months
Tattoo 6 months

21. DRUGS PERIOD OF DEFERRAL
Aspirin 36-48 hrs
Isotretinoin 1 month after last dose
Finasteride 1 month after last dose
Acitretin 3 years after last dose
Hepatitis B Ig 12 months
Bovine insulin Permanent deferral

22.  Antibiotics
 Topical steroid preparations for skin lesions not
present at venipuncture sites.
 Blood pressure medications. However, donor
should be free from side effects of anti-
hypertensives, especially postural hypotension.
 Bronchodilators and decongestants
 Oral hypoglycemic agents
 Oral contraceptives, mild analgesics, vitamins and
replacement hormones.

23. Hepatitis B vaccine 7 days
Oral Typhoid, Oral Polio,
Yellow Fever
2 weeks
Chicken pox, MMR
(measles, mumps, rubella)
4 weeks
Smallpox At least 21 days

24.  Cancer
 Heart disease
 Abnormal bleeding tendencies
 Unexplained weight loss
 Diabetes controlled on insulin
 Hepatitis B infection
 Chronic nephritis
 Signs and symptoms suggestive of AIDS

25.  Liver disease
 Tuberculosis
 Polycythemia Vera
 Asthma
 Epilepsy
 Leprosy
 Schizophrenia
 Endocrine disorders

26.  Finally I would like to conclude my presentation
with a note that blood donation could give as well
as take lives.
 Hence it is essentially important to follow all the
rules and precautions to ensure safety of both the
donor and the recipient.
 Also it is important that voluntary non
remunerated blood donations should be
promoted, accepted and practised for safe blood
supply.