Blood Donation

Question 1

what is the age range of regular donors?

Answer 1

17-70

Question 2

what is the age range of new donors?

Answer 2

17-66

Question 3

who is more at risk to donate blood?

Answer 3

men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers and those who have received a transfusion since 1980

Question 4

how can you test for adequate haemoglobin levels?

Answer 4

blood dropped into copper sulphate and should fall through within 15 seconds

Question 5

what is the normal haemoglobin levels around?

Answer 5

130 g/l

Question 6

what are the 3 different types of test to detect for contamination?

Answer 6

nucleic acid test, antigen assay and antibody assay

Question 7

what infections are blood donations tested for?

Answer 7

syphillis, HIV, hepatitis

Question 8

what infections are first time donors tested for?

Answer 8

HTLV

Question 9

what are blood donations tested for if needed?

Answer 9

CMV, malaria, west nile virus

Question 10

what is HTLV?

Answer 10

human T cell lymphotropic virus

Question 11

what are the features of a nucleic acid test?

Answer 11

detects the DNA or RNA of the virus whilst replicating and has shortest window period

Question 12

what are the features of an antigen assay?

Answer 12

becomes positive later in the infection

Question 13

what are the features of an antibody assay?

Answer 13

positive after there is an immune response and has much longer window period

Question 14

how is syphillis tested for?

Answer 14

tested for antibodies for treponema pallidum

Question 15

how many tests are there for HIV? what are they?

Answer 15

one for HIV 1 and 2 and another for a NAT

Question 16

how many tests for hepatitis B? what are they?

Answer 16

three, one for surface antigen detection, a HBV NAT, antibody test if NAT is positive

Question 17

how many tests for hep C? what are they?

Answer 17

antibody test and a HCV NAT test

Question 18

what type of hepatitis is responsible for chronic hepatitis?

Answer 18

hepatitis C

Question 19

how many tests for hep E? what are they?

Answer 19

one which is a HEV NAT

Question 20

what are the symptoms of HEV?

Answer 20

can be asymptomatic, mild hepatitis, can lead to liver failure in pregnant women who are immunosuppressed

Question 21

what effect can the HTLV have?

Answer 21

it can cause T cell leukaemia or lymphoma and responsible for a range of chronic inflammatory syndromes

Question 22

how many tests for the HTLV?

Answer 22

one, which is a test for antibodies to the virus

Question 23

how is CMV tested for?

Answer 23

one test using CMV antibodies

Question 24

what is CMV?

Answer 24

a member of the herpes group, can be asymptomatic but may have flu like symptoms

Question 25

in what situation can CMV be life threatening?

Answer 25

to those immunosuppressed such as babies

Question 26

what are the stages of blood processing?

Answer 26

apheresis or pooled, CMV test, irradiation, high titre antibodies, HLA or HPA matched

Question 27

what blood component poses the most risk?

Answer 27

from platelets as they are stored at a higher temperature

Question 28

what are the sources of contamination?

Answer 28

the skin, asymptomatic donors, contaminated blood bag, contaminated water bath, contamination during processing

Question 29

how is contamination screened for?

Answer 29

NHSBT have introduced an automated blood culture system to detect bacterial contamination of platelets during shelf life

Question 30

what are category 3 transfusion patients?

Answer 30

patients that are not transfused during this time and elective surgery is cancelled

Question 31

what are category 2 transfusion patients?

Answer 31

transfused in amber conditions yet not red, such as cancer surgeries and those that are not life threatening

Question 32

what are category 1 transfusion patients?

Answer 32

resuscitation, emergency situations and chronic anaemia