Blood Donation Flashcards
Why is there such a high demand on RhD donors?
Sickle cell anaemia patients require blood in treatment and prevention. Many are given Ro blood but only 2% of the population are Ro so alternative Rhd blood can be given.
What are the ideal donors for blood donation?
Ideal donors are the ones that come back because they require less testing and these people are more likely attend donation sessions during busy times.
What rewards are often given to donors?
Donors can receive trinkets and often get texts from NHSBT telling them when their blood has been shipped to a hospital.
Why is it unethical to test for prions?
- We don’t know yet if a positive test means you will develop vCJD.
- This will stop people being able to give bold if they could develop vCJD.
- There is no treatment for vCJD - it is unethical to test people if you can’t offer a treatment.
What are the main reasons for specifically choosing donors?
- To ensure that they do not come to harm from giving their donation.
- So that the donation is unlikely to harm the recipient.
What are the age restrictions for donating blood?
17 - 66 for first time donors or 17-70 for regular donors.
What are the weight restrictions for donating blood?
Must have a weight at least 7 stone 12lbs. There is no upper weight limit.
Why must you be at least 7 stone 12lbs to donate blood?
Anybody below this weight would be likely to faint when losing approximately half a litre of blood because they are losing a lot of their total blood volume.
What topics does the blood donor questionnaire cover?
Demographics, lifestyle, health and well-being, infection risk, understanding of the blood donation policy.
Why is the blood donor questionnaire used?
This is a quick, cheap and effective way of increasing the safety of the blood supply.
How often do you have to do a blood donation questionnaire?
Every time you donate.
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions on the blood donation questionnaire, what happens next?
You will have an oral interview to see if you are eligible to give blood.
What are the symptoms of vCJD?
Symptoms of dementia and also movement issues.
What are classed as the ‘high risk groups’ for blood borne diseases in terms of donating blood?
- Men who have sex with men.
- Commercial sex workers.
- People who have sex with another member of a high risk groups 1 or 2.
Who makes the decisions about who can give blood?
Department of Health
Who advises the Department Of Health who should and shouldn’t donate blood?
Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs.
What is a prion?
A type of mutated protein that can enter your cells and alter their machinery.
How can the people who are in a high risk group for blood borne diseases donate blood?
These groups have been Able to donate since Nov 2017 once 3 months since the sexual activity has occurred.
Why are high risk groups able to donate blood after 3 months of sexual abstinence?
This 3 month is the window period in which newly acquired infections may not be detected by microbiological testing.
In what month and year did it become okay for high risk groups to donate blood?
November 2017
Can you give if you have had a blood transfusion previously?
No
Why can’t you give blood if you have previously had a transfusion?
To prevent the transmission of prions in the blood which can cause vCJD.
What is vCJD?
A fatal neurological disease.
The prion that causes vCJD also causes what disease?
Mad cow disease
How many cases of transmitting vCJD from blood donation have been found since 1999 and how many donors were they from?
4 cases
3 donors