How do I think about blood donor eligibility criteria for medical conditions?

Abstract

Every blood center must determine blood donor eligibility criteria for donors with medical conditions, often based on very limited published data and variable practice. This manuscript briefly outlines possible impacts of donor medical conditions on donor and recipient safety and product quality, and describes the multidisciplinary approach used in Canada to think about donor criteria issues. Many years of experience are distilled into practical considerations in determining criteria, possible sources of information, and factors for successful change implementation, to hopefully assist medical and technical staff engaged in decision-making around donor eligibility.

Blood donor eligibility criteria for medical conditions: A BEST collaborative study

“…The literature about establishing deferral practices for medical conditions is limited [1,12,18]. Our data represent information from a wide range of blood centres and may be helpful for other blood centre medical directors in assessing their eligibility criteria.…”

“…In the United States, regulatory requirements are important in criteria for hypertension and use of certain medications, but do not cover the other medical conditions in the survey [11]. In Canada, changes to criteria that might theoretically affect the quality of the product or safety of the recipient require a submission to the regulator for approval prior to implementation [12]. Changes to 17 of the 20 criteria (all except hypertension, coronary artery disease and epilepsy) would likely require a regulatory submission.…”

“…The two Canadian centres review newly licensed medications quarterly, updating the donor suitability manual to include medications that are a cause for deferral. Donors on licensed new medications are accepted if these are not specifically on the deferral list [12].…”