Donor Selection & Questionnaire Flashcards
What is the minimum age requirement to donate blood products in most states?
16 years old with parental consent
Some states require donors to be at least 17 years old.
Is there an upper age limit to donate blood?
No upper age limit
Some blood centers may coordinate with physicians for donors of advanced age.
What is the minimum weight requirement for blood donors set by the FDA?
110 pounds (50 kilograms)
This requirement applies regardless of age, height, or gender.
Can blood centers impose stricter weight parameters than the FDA’s requirement?
Yes, based on individual circumstances
Some blood centers may use their discretion.
What is the acceptable range for systolic blood pressure according to the FDA?
90 to 180 mm Hg
This range is part of the physical assessment for blood donors.
What is the acceptable range for diastolic blood pressure according to the FDA?
50 to 100 mm Hg
This range is part of the physical assessment for blood donors.
What is the maximum body temperature allowed for potential blood donors?
99.5°F or 37.5°C
Donors must have a body temperature of 99.5°F or less to be eligible.
What is the acceptable pulse rate range for blood donors as per FDA guidelines?
50 to 100 beats per minute
This pulse rate is a requirement for donor eligibility.
What is the upper limit for systolic blood pressure in mm Hg?
180 mm Hg
This limit is set by the FDA for donor eligibility.
What is the lower limit for systolic blood pressure in mm Hg?
90 mm Hg
This limit is set by the FDA for donor eligibility.
What is the upper limit for diastolic blood pressure in mm Hg?
100 mm Hg
This limit is set by the FDA for donor eligibility.
What is the lower limit for diastolic blood pressure in mm Hg?
50 mm Hg
This limit is set by the FDA for donor eligibility.
What is the maximum pulse rate allowed for blood donors?
100 bpm
This pulse rate is a requirement for donor eligibility.
What is the minimum pulse rate allowed for blood donors?
50 bpm
This pulse rate is a requirement for donor eligibility.
True or False: Donors who do not meet the FDA health conditions may still be eligible to donate.
True
They may be evaluated by a physician for eligibility.
What is tested before a blood donation to ensure safety?
Hemoglobin and/or hematocrit levels
These tests help detect existing anemia or prevent the onset of symptoms of anemia.
What are the acceptable hemoglobin levels for male donors?
13.0 g/dL or higher
This is established by FDA guidelines.
What are the acceptable hemoglobin levels for female donors?
12.5 g/dL or higher
This is established by FDA guidelines.
What are the acceptable hematocrit levels for male donors?
39% or higher
This is established by FDA guidelines.
What are the acceptable hematocrit levels for female donors?
38% or higher
This is established by FDA guidelines.
What hemoglobin level range is accepted for female donors under certain conditions?
12.0–12.5 g/dL
The donation center must ensure no adverse health effects will result.
What hematocrit level range is accepted for female donors under certain conditions?
36–38%
The donation center must ensure no adverse health effects will result.
What is the most common reason for donor deferral?
Low hemoglobin or hematocrit levels
These low levels can indicate anemia.
True or False: Blood centers may choose to measure either hemoglobin or hematocrit before donation.
True
Some centers may also measure both.
What is the purpose of the donor history questionnaire (DHQ)?
To help potential donors and donor centers determine if it is safe for individuals to donate blood and to ensure the safety of collected products for transfusion.
The DHQ assesses health and risk factors in potential blood donors.
When must the DHQ be completed?
On the same day of the scheduled donation prior to the collection of any blood product.
Who can administer the DHQ?
It can be self-administered or administered by a trained professional (donor historian).
What must happen if the DHQ is self-administered?
The questionnaire must be reviewed by a donor historian.
Where must the interview process be performed if the DHQ is administered by a donor historian?
In an area of the donor center where there is privacy.
What is the purpose of assessing the general health of a donor?
To determine if blood donation is appropriate for the safety of the donor and the future recipient.
What happens if a donor is deemed not appropriate for donation?
The donor would be deferred from the process.
What are the three types of deferrals in blood donation?
- Temporary
- Indefinite
- Permanent
What is a temporary deferral?
A situation where a person has to wait a specified amount of time before being eligible to donate.
How long is the wait for a temporary deferral after donating a single unit of blood?
An additional 2 weeks, totaling 8 weeks from the last donation.
What defines an indefinite deferral?
Exclusion from donating for an unspecified amount of time.
Under what condition might a person with an indefinite deferral become eligible to donate in the future?
If regulatory requirements change and testing methodologies improve.
What is a permanent deferral?
When a person is excluded from ever donating again.
Can autologous donations be permitted in cases of deferral?
Yes, autologous donations may still be permitted.
What is a requirement for potential donors regarding their health?
Potential donors should appear to be in good health and have no obvious symptoms of any illness or influence of drugs or alcohol.
What should the venipuncture site be free of?
The venipuncture site should be free of signs of infection, inflammation, or other lesions and puncture marks or scars that may suggest drug abuse.
When should donors taking antibiotics be deferred?
Donors taking antibiotics or any other medication for infection should be deferred until the infection has cleared up and the prescribed regimen is completed.
Do antibiotics taken for preventative measures disqualify a donor from donation?
No, antibiotics taken for preventative measures do not necessarily disqualify a donor from donation.
How long should donors wait after pregnancy before attempting to donate?
Donors who are pregnant should wait until 6 weeks following the end of their pregnancy before attempting to donate.
List the types of medications or diseases/situations which may be cause for a potential donor to be deferred, depending on the type of product being donated.
Anti-platelet agents
Anticoagulants (“blood thinners”)
Acne treatment
Multiple Myeloma
Hair loss regimens
Prostate symptoms
Immunosuppressants
Basal Cell Skin Cancer
Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Hepatitis exposure
HIV prevention or treatment medications
Psoriasis
Experimental medications
All of the following are cause for deferral from donating blood or blood products except:
Please select the single best answer
Anticoagulants Acne medications Medications for Psoriasis Topical lotions for dry skin
Topical lotions for dry skin
True or False: A person taking an antibiotic for preventative measures may be allowed to donate blood during the course of their antibiotic regimen.
Select true or false
True False
True
Donors taking antibiotics for active infections are deferred to prevent transmission of their infection via donated blood products. Taking an antibiotic for preventative measures does not necessarily indicate an active infection or a transmission risk to blood product recipients.
For example, the American Red Cross permits the donation of blood products for those taking preventative antibiotics for the following conditions: acne, chronic prostatitis, peptic ulcer disease, periodontal disease, pre-dental work, rosacea, ulcerative colitis, post-splenectomy, or valvular heart disease.
What effect does aspirin have on platelet function?
Aspirin and products containing aspirin hinder platelet function
Aspirin blocks platelet production of thromboxane A2, an essential component of platelet aggregation.
How long before donation should a donor avoid aspirin or aspirin-containing products?
Donors should avoid aspirin or aspirin-containing products within 2 full days of donation.
Can a donor who has taken aspirin still donate whole blood?
Yes, a donor may still donate whole blood if they have taken aspirin within the past 48 hours.
What happens to the unit of blood from a donor who has taken aspirin?
Their unit may not be used as a source of platelets.
Fill in the blank: Aspirin blocks platelet production of _______.
thromboxane A2
True or False: Donors who have taken aspirin can donate platelets if it has been more than 48 hours since ingestion.
True
How long must whole blood donors wait between all product donations?
56 days (8 weeks)
This is the standard waiting period for whole blood donations.
What is the deferral period for persons donating double red units via apheresis before they can donate again?
16 weeks
This longer deferral period is due to the nature of double red cell donations.
How long must persons donating plasma, platelets, or granulocytes via apheresis wait before donating again?
At least 48 hours
This ensures donor safety and recovery time.
How many times can plasma apheresis donors donate in a seven-day period?
Twice
Donors must ensure a 48-hour interval between the two donations.
What is the maximum limit of platelet donations allowed in a 12-month period?
24 platelet donations
This limit is set to protect donor health.
What is the deferral period for live attenuated, viral or bacterial vaccines such as measles (rubeola), mumps, polio (sabin/oral), typhoid (oral), or yellow fever?
14-day deferral.
What is the deferral period for German measles (rubella) and chickenpox/shingles (varicella-zoster) live attenuated, viral or bacterial vaccinations?
4-week deferral.
Is there a deferral period for SARS-CoV-2 nonreplicating, inactivated, or mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines?
No deferral/waiting period.
What is the deferral period following a smallpox vaccine?
21 days or until the scab has fallen off, whichever is later.
What is the deferral period if the smallpox scab did not fall off on its own?
56 days from the vaccination date.
Should donors who have been in close contact with smallpox vaccine recipients be deferred?
Yes, they are at risk.
What should be done if a donor displays symptoms associated with the smallpox vaccine?
They should be deferred from donation.
What is the deferral period for donors who experienced complications from vaccination or exposure?
At least 14 days following symptom resolution.
Does the JYNNEOS Smallpox/Monkeypox vaccine for mpox require any deferral?
No, it does not require any deferral.
What types of vaccines have no deferral period if the donor is symptom free and afebrile?
Vaccines such as:
Anthrax, Cholera (inactivated), Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Influenza, Lyme disease, Paratyphoid, Pertussis, Plague, Pneumococcal polysaccharide, Polio (Salk/injection), Rabie, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tetanus, Typhoid (by injection)
**Receipt of toxoids, or synthetic or killed viral, bacterial, or rickettsial vaccines.
What types of vaccines have no deferral period ever?
- Receipt of recombinant vaccine- HPV, Zoster Recombinant, Adjuvanted (shingrix) vaccine
- Receipt of intranasal live attenuated flu vaccine
- Receipt of Vaxchora (live attenuated, nonsystemically absorbed, oral Cholera vaccine)
What is the correct deferral period for someone who has received a chickenpox or shingles vaccine today?
Please select the single best answer
4 weeks 2 weeks 1 week No deferral
The varicella-zoster vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine and has a 4-week deferral period.
A 4-week deferral period is recommended for those that have received a live attenuated, viral, and bacterial vaccine such as German measles (rubella) or chicken pox/shingles (varicella-zoster virus).
The AABB recommends a 2-week deferral period for those that have received live attenuated, viral, and bacterial vaccines such as measles (rubeola), mumps, polio (Sabin/oral), typhoid (oral), and yellow fever.
No deferral period is recommended for recipients of toxoid, synthetic, or killed viral, bacterial, or rickettsial vaccines.
The AABB makes several recommendations for donor deferral periods following certain vaccinations. Some vaccines do not have any deferral period, as long as the donor remains asymptomatic and afebrile following vaccination. Which of the following vaccines do not require a deferral period?
Please select the single best answer
Tetanus
Influenza
Hepatitis B
Lyme Disease
All of the above
None of the above - the AABB recommends a donation deferral
period for each of the above vaccines.
All of the above
AABB specifically does not recommend a donor deferral period for toxoid, synthetic, or killed viral, bacterial, or rickettsial vaccines such as anthrax, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, Lyme disease, paratyphoid, pertussis, plague, pneumococcal polysaccharide, polio (Salk/injection), rabies, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tetanus, or typhoid (by injection). The intranasal live attenuated flu vaccine also has no deferral period
Alex arrives at the blood donation center today to donate a unit of whole blood. Alex took an aspirin last night for a headache. Is Alex eligible to donate blood today?
Please select the single best answer
a. Yes, Alex is eligible to donate whole blood today. b. No, Alex is not eligible for a whole blood donation. Donors must wait 48 hours from their last aspirin dose before donating whole blood. c. No, Alex is not eligible for a whole blood donation. Donors must wait 7 days from their last aspirin dose before donating whole blood. d. No, Alex is not eligible for a whole blood donation, but a plasma donation is acceptable instead.
a. Yes, Alex is eligible to donate whole blood today.
There is no deferral period for whole blood donation or plasma donation following aspirin ingestion, but the whole blood unit must not be used for platelets.
Donors must wait 48 hours from their last aspirin dose before donating a unit of platelets.
True or False: Cameron arrives at the blood donation center and fills out the Donor History Questionnaire with a donor historian. Cameron says that they have been in close contact in the last 8 weeks with someone who received the smallpox vaccine. Cameron denies any symptoms or new skin lesions. Because of the exposure, the donor historian should defer Cameron from donating blood products today.
Select true or false
True False
FALSE. Cameron denies any new symptoms or skin lesions, despite coming into close contact with a smallpox vaccine recipient. The FDA does not recommend deferral for asymptomatic contacts of smallpox vaccine recipients.
Symptomatic contacts of smallpox vaccine recipients should be deferred from donation
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) oral medication for the prevention of HIV may delay laboratory detection of the virus in infected individuals and result in false ________ results.
negative
Donors who answer “yes” to the Oral HIV Prevention Medication question are deferred for how long?
Ex. donor question: In the past 3 months have you taken any medication by mouth (oral) to prevent HIV infection? (i.e. PrEP or PEP)
Deferred for 3 months from the date of their last dose
