Analysis of blood donor deferral characteristics in a tertiary care hospital in a Blood Bank – A review

Abstract

Introduction: The deferral of blood donors leads to loss of precious whole blood donors (WBD) and blood units available for transfusion purpose. Knowledge of donor deferral (DD) can guide the recruitment strategy for WBD. Objective: To find the incidence and causes of deferral in Indian WBD and apply relevant findings to modify recruitment strategy for WBD. Discussion: Data for WBD presenting for donation in a blood centre and outdoor camps from January 2008 to December 2011 were analysed retrospectively. National guidelines were used for selection and deferral of WBD. 7563 WBD were deferred out of 103337 presenting for donation during the study period. Incidence of deferral was 7.31 %.Most common reasons for deferral were low Hb( Haemoglobin) (49.91 %), High blood pressure (9.52 %), underweight (17.29 %) , History of jaundice/hepatitis (4.89 %)and history of antibiotic/medication use (3.10%). Majority of them (87.55%) were being deferred for temporary reasons. Permanent Deferral accounted for 12.45 % with uncontrolled hypertension being the most common cause (76.51 %) in this category. Most of these deferred donors (63.22 %) were between 18-30 years of age. Conclusion: It is important to determine the rate and causes of WBD deferral to guide the recruitment and retention efforts at local, regional, and national level.