BLOOD

COLLECTION AND
PROCESSING
JEAN STANLEY

OBJECTIVES
After completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to:
1. List information necessary for registration of a donor.
2. Discuss the importance of the uniform donor history questionnaire
and the accompanying documents for prospective
donors.
3. Define the importance of a medical history and physical
examination for determining donor acceptability.
4. Explain the procedure for phlebotomy of a donor.
5. Describe various types of donor reactions and appropriate
steps to follow to aid the donor.
6. List the testing requirements for donor processing.
7. Discuss the preoperative autologous donation procedure,
including testing and labeling requirements.
8. Describe the other methods of collecting autologous
donations.

KEY WORDS
Standard operating
procedures
Surrogate markers
Syncope
Therapeutic phlebotomy
Traceability
Uniform donor history
questionnaire (UDHQ)
Volunteer blood donors
Window period

CHAPTER

1
UNIT 1 | BLOOD AND BLOOD
COMPONENTS
Allogeneic
Autologous

Chagas
Confidential unit exclusion
Dedicated donor
Deferral
Directed donor
Donor processing
Good manufacturing
practices
Hematocrit
Hemoglobin
High-risk donor
Infectious disease markers
Intraoperative salvage
ISBT 128
Mobile operation
Nucleic acid testing
Paid donor
Postoperative salvage

lood is a scarce resource, with its availability dependent

upon the altruistic nature of volunteer

blood donors. All blood in the United States collected
for the transfusion of others or allogeneic donations
comes from volunteer blood donors. With the addition
of numerous screening questions and sophisticated
tests to ensure the safety of the blood supply,
it is estimated that only 38% of the U.S. population
is eligible to donate blood.1 Volunteer blood donors
provide red blood cells (RBCs), plasma, and platelets,
each an important component in helping to save lives
through blood transfusions. With the diminishing
pool of available blood donors, blood centers and
blood banks have the responsibility to provide a safe
and pleasant environment to recruit and retain donors
so that blood and blood components will be available
for the patients requiring transfusions.
The donation process is guided by requirements or
standards AABB, formly known as American Association
of Blood Banks, a professional organization with
expertise in standard setting and accreditation in blood
banking and transfusion medicine, and the Department
of Health and Human Services, U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). These stringent requirements
must be followed by facilities collecting and distributing
blood and blood components, ensuring the
donation process is safe for the donor as well as the
blood received for transfusion is safe for the recipient