Blood donor complications after whole-blood donation

Current Opinion in Hematology

Volumn 11, Issue 5, 2004, Pages 339-345

  Newman, Bruce H ^a,b  

^a WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^b AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICES   (United States)

Author keywords

Arterial puncture; Blood donor injury; Nerve injury; Syncope; Vasovagal reaction; Whole blood donation

Indexed keywords

ARTERY INJURY; BLOOD DONOR; FATIGUE; HEMATOMA; HUMAN; NERVE INJURY; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RED CROSS; REVIEW; SYNCOPE; UNITED STATES;

BLOOD DONORS; BLOOD SPECIMEN COLLECTION; CONTUSIONS; DATABASES, FACTUAL; FATIGUE; HUMANS; PAIN; SYNCOPE, VASOVAGAL; WOUNDS AND INJURIES;

EID: 13544259889     PISSN: 10656251     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1097/01.moh.0000142105.21058.96     Document Type: Review

References (52)

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2. Dodd R: Notes on global blood safety [editorial]. Blood Ther Med 2003, 4:2-4.
3. Newman BH, Pichette S, Pichette D, et al.: Adverse effect in blood donors after whole-blood donation: a study of 1,000 blood donors interviewed 3 weeks after whole-blood donation. Transfusion 2003, 43:598-603. This article relates the incidence of seven adverse events in whole blood donors based on interview data. Certain events such as bruise, fatigue, and sore arm can only be detected through an interview, and an interview increases the number of adverse events detected.
4. Newman B, Crooks N, Zhou L, et al.: Whole-blood donor complications leading to outside medical care: national overview and a detailed review at one blood center [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):77A. This abstract identifies the incidence of outside medical care for blood donors at a single blood center and within the American Red Cross system in 2003.
5. Newman B, Newman D: The effect of the blood donor's physical experience on blood donor return rates [abstract]. Transfusion 2003, 43(suppl):140A. The abstract provides data on how the physical experience affects blood donor return rates.
6. Fridey J, ed: Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, edn 22. Bethesda: American Association of Blood Banks; 2003.
7. Sojka P, Sojka BN: Adverse effect in blood donors after whole-blood donation: you find what you look for! [letter; see reply] Transfusion 2004, 44:135. The reply notes the difference between adverse event data detected by observation versus observation and postdonation interview.
8. Newman BH: Donor reactions and injuries from whole-blood donation. Transfusion Med Rev 1997, 11:64-75. The article is a comprehensive review of blood donor reactions and injuries after whole blood donation.
9. Newman BH: Vasovagal reactions in high school students: findings relative to race, risk factor synergism, female sex, and non-high school participants. Transfusion 2002, 42:1557-1560. Low-weight and first-time donor status were associated with increased vasovagal reactions in this high-risk group. Caucasian students had a much higher vasovagal reaction rate than African-American students, and females had a higher vasovagal reaction rate than males, but equalized when comparisons were limited to donors above 149 lb. Repeat high school donors had a low vasovagal reaction rate.
10. Trouern-Trend JJ, Cable RG, Badon SJ, et al.: A case-controlled multicenter study of vasovagal reaction in blood donors: influence of sex, age, donation status, weight, blood pressure, and pulse. Transfusion 1999, 39:316-320. The article reviews 1,890 vasovagal reactions from 450-ml collections from three blood centers and compared the data to matched controls. Age, weight and first-time donor status were contributors to vasovagal syncopal reactions based on a step-wise regression analysis. Sex, pulse and blood pressure were non-contributors.
11. Tomasulo P, Anderson AJ, Paluso MB, et al.: A study of criteria for blood donor deferral. Transfusion 1980, 20:511-518.
12. Newman B, Roth A: Estimating the probability of a vasovagal reaction or fatigue based on comprehensive data collected from 1,000 whole-blood donors [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):76A. Based on a stepwise regression analysis of interviewed whole-blood donors, this abstract estimates the incidence of a vasovagal reaction and fatigue based on the relevant contributors.
13. Newman B, Siegfried B, Buchanan L: The effect of ethnicity on the incidence of vasovagal reactions in first-time whole-blood donors [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):77A. This abstract evaluated 4000 first-time donations by whites and 4500 first-time donations by blacks and found that whites have 2.4-fold more vasovagal reactions than blacks. It is the definitive study on the issue because of the large number of first-time donors evaluated.
14. Newman B, Satz S, Janowicz N: Female gender by itself increases vasovagal reaction rates in 17-year-old, first-time, Caucasian blood donors [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):78A. This abstract evaluated 8135 first-time, white high school students and found that gender and weight were independent contributors to vasovagal reaction rates. It is the first study to show that gender is an independent contributor to vasovagal reactions, irrespective of weight.
15. Newman B, Graves S: A study of 178 consecutive vasovagal syncopal reactions from the perspective of safety. Transfusion 2001, 41:1475-1479. This descriptive study of vasovagal syncopal reactions in whole-blood donors evaluated symptoms and signs, duration of syncope, location of syncope, traumatic injuries, and medical disposition.
16. Boynton MH, Taylor ES: Complications arising in donors in a mass blood procurement project. Am J Med Sci 1945, 209:421-436. An old but unique study of seven million donation that provides data on deaths, significant medical events, and injuries related to whole blood donation.
17. Gorlin JB, Petersen J: Reactions in first-time high school blood donors [letter; see reply]. Transfusion 2004, 44:4632. This study shows the effect of a vasovagal reaction on high school donor return rates and the further effect of syncope. Additional data are provided in the Reply.
18. Siegfried B, Newman B: Effect of reactions in allogeneic whole-blood donors on intervals from donation to next presentation [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):78A. This abstract presents data on the effect of no reaction, vasovagal reaction, and vasovagal reaction with syncope on blood donor return rates. The database was 1.1 million donations.
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20. Newman BH: Adjusting our management of female blood donors: the key to an adequate blood supply [commentary]. Transfusion 2004, 44:591-596. This article provides some potential solutions to decrease vasovagal reactions and surveyed seven major metropolitan regions relative to self-sufficiency for red blood cell collections.
21. Wiltbank TB: Donor reaction rates: a preliminary comparison of automated vs whole-blood procedures [abstract]. Transfusion 2002, 42(suppl):67S. The largest study to date that evaluates vasovagal reactions rates from double-red cell collections using an apheresis machine versus manual whole blood collection. Double red cell collections are done in larger donors, remove a smaller volume, and return fluids to the donors. There is a lower vasovagal reaction rate for double-red cell collections in comparison to manual RBC collections, but no comparisons of equal-sized donors have yet been done.
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26. Newman B, Crooks N, Roberts, et al.: Drinking water 30 minutes prior to blood donation can decrease the blood donor's hemoglobin concentration [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):79A. Based on the timing of water drinking to the phlebotomy, water can either cause hemoconcentration or hemodilution. At 30 minutes, water causes hemodilution, which can decrease the hemoglobin concentration slightly and is an issue for female blood donor deferrals.
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28. Newman B, Satz S, Janowicz N, et al.: The effect of decreasing the whole-blood collection volume on vasovagal reaction rates in first-time, Caucasian high-school students [abstract]. Transfusion 2004, 44(suppl):78A. This abstract evaluated 8135 students for vasovagal reactions and then demonstrated how decreasing the collection volume by increments of 50 mL would affect vasovagal reaction rates in female and male high school students. Decreasing the collection volume is a potential method to decrease vasovagal reactions.
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32. Newman B: Venipuncture nerve injuries after whole-blood donation [letter; see reply). Transfusion 2001, 41:571. Needle injuries occurred in 8 of 20 donors (40%) after a straight-forward phlebotomy. A straight-forward phlebotomy was described as not difficult, had no needle adjustments, and no development of a hematoma.
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