Blood donor demographics

Tracking systems do exist, but they are not usually linked back to the donation center. If you donate at a local hospital and that hospital is the collection agency as well as the transfusion agency then the same systems can talk to each other. Centralized collection agencies that collect and process donations but then distribute them to transfusion centers and hospitals do not typically know the individual patient who received each unit. The donor is a customer of the blood center, the hospital/transfusion center is a customer of the blood center, the patient is a customer of the hospital. Too many links that don't currently exist, particularly given that every hospital/transfusion center has it's own unique tracking system that would need to be integrated into the blood center's system. It would be a logistical nightmare and to prevent potential hacking into other private information about the donor and/or patient, I don't think it would be considered.

You are correct Boomer that significant tracking systems do exist and if a particular donor were to notify the collection center that he had become ill his unit could be traced all the way to a particular patient, but not through electronic links. The blood center would notify the hospital, the hospital would notify the patient's physician and the physician would take it from there.

The screening process varies by location as well. I was rejected in Wisconsin for not being able to answer questions about sexual partner's parent's medical history, but those same questions have never even come up here in Florida. The South Florida Blood Bank doesn't pester you if you don't show up all the time, but their computer will call you when the Blood Bank's inventory is running low.

They also have a clever sales technique that is incredibly effective. After a few donations they took me aside and explained that because of my answers to the screening questions and the O+ blood in my veins; my platelets are ideal for babies with Leukemia. Who the hell could say no to a pitch like that?

Now, Pheresis donations are a little bigger pain in the a$$ than just giving blood: The blood suckers jab one fire hose size needle into one arm, that's hooked up to a centrifuge that separates the platelets and then run the blood back into your other arm (through another fire hose size needle). This process take between an hour and a half and two hours to complete. It sucks because both arms are out of commission so you can't even scratch an itch and it makes you really cold (even though I usually have them put a couple blankets over me). Worse still; your body recovers in 30 days instead of the 60 it takes to replace blood… so they can guilt you into donating more often.

Afraid of needles is a copout. I am afraid of needles and still clinch up my entire body while gritting my teeth and squinting while being jabbed… and I know damn skippy that it doesn't really hurt. I also know that my fear of needles is basically a phobia that shouldn't interfere with work that needs to be done. So if that's your excuse, feel guilty. :wink:

A few years back, somehow while doing my regular apheresis donation for a particular patient, I did learn the patients name and approximate age and what hospital she was in. It was an oversight on the part of the Blood Bank as they were discussing "Felicity" within my earshot. Breach of confidentiality on their part, but I never said a word about it. For some reason it motivated me to want to give more to help this woman who was dying of leukemia and I was her perfect match to help her survive. I gave a lot!

Donor eligibility guidelines are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are the same for both apheresis and whole blood donors. There are specific waiting periods between donations. After donating platelets, donors are eligible to donate whole blood or platelets after 72 hours. After donating whole blood, donors must wait 56 days before donating whole blood again. Current FDA guidelines allow up to 24 platelet donations per year.

I think I gave my max that year.......

Sadly, Felicity did eventually pass away and I felt the loss.

Blood drive in Stoneham today, so I am now down a pint.
There was a good turnout when I stopped by, and it looked
to be spread out across age groups.

Sad story Lady J. I don't think I'd want to know who gets my goods. It's enough for me to know someone does. 24 times a year is VERY impressive. You make me feel like a slouch.

You're not even close to being a slouch Mr. OCCOM BILL. We all do what we CAN do and with her I was very motivated. It also helps that my local blood bank is less than a block away from my home and they have great hours, so I just take a walk over, do my thing and walk home. In fact, it is on my agenda today, but just for whole blood.

I know it has been mentioned before, but just so you know again....you really ARE one very handsome man, sir.

(thanks)

And the 72 hour guidelines can be waived in certain circumstaces, such as the case of two matched siblings donating for a brother. We drew one of the matched pair every day when the brother was in crisis.

You are very, very welcome.

Yeah, absolutely, you're no slouch OCCOM BILL.

And what are you going to say when they hit you up with the leukemia babies?

And girls named Felicity?

Or just the fact that something that you have an ample supply of is so needed?

I've been thinking a lot about these things since reading about cav dying.

I know that he died from some kind of infection.

I don't know what was involved with his treatment.

But I keep thinking that somewhere out there, my blood is being pumped into someone who's family is grateful that I took that hour to do something. Someone who loves their person as much as cav's family loved him.

During my next donation I'll whisper a little something to all those well loved someones.

To those of you sitting on the fence - get off your arse and go donate!

would love to Boomer -my recent health conditions prevent my donation. I'm ONeg and believe me they never let me forget and when it's urgent they let me know.

I'm Oneg too, husker! I know that if I'm late they call me. Last time I went they even called me on that night to try to schedule me. Mr. B kindly explained that I could not give more than once a day.

And I know that you would if you could.

And I know you will if you can.

True story (but yall may not like this): When I was younger, much younger, after college and VN, I got itchy feet and travelled for a number of years. Hitching, for the most part. The time was the mid-1970's.
After an incredible month or two in Turkey, I ended up in Athens, Greece.
Tired and moneyless. I slept in the park by Syntagma (sp?) Square. There were a bunch of Austrian kids there. The guys had fled in order to evade military service. Some girlfriends came along.
Their routine was to make the rounds of the bloodbanks, selling a pint a day for enough money to get along. The bloodbanks were complicent; each dyeing a different finger so we, I mean they, couldn't come back right away. But they never checked any of the other fingers for recent sales.
This was all before we had ever heard of things like AIDS.

Blood as a commodity. Blood for sale. It's a strange concept but one wonders what is the norm in other parts of the world.

The South Florida Blood Bank offers the data they learn from testing your blood (or more complicated donations, but never money. It is a stain on any society that has to pay people to donate blood. We are all potential recipients (accept that card-carrying group of religious fools).

Aids Fears= Total copout. Everything that touches your blood is a one-use disposable unit. It is utterly impossible to acquire aids this way. Even in a Pheresis donation; the spikes, fire hoses and even the part of the centrifuge that separates the platelets is disposable after one use. Don't anyone think that's a reasonable reason to not donate either. It's not.

I started working in a blood center in 1975. Even by then all of the blood collection agencies in the US were volunteer donation centers. There are still plasma centers where you can be paid for a plasmapheresis donation, but not one that will be transfused directly into a patient. All paid donations go through further processing before any product is produced as an injectable. All donations that go directly to hospitals/transfusion centers are from volunteer blood donors in this country. Which brings up another point. When someone receives a transfusion they are billed for the collection, processing, testing and storage of that blood as a processing fee. The notion that the collection agencies 'sell' the blood to the hospital for financial profit is incorrect. I have heard people say they won't volunteer to donate because the Red Cross (or other agency) makes money on their donation. This isn't true.

Bill, I visited the South Florida Blood Center in St. Pete a few years back while working with some of the folks there on a project. Very nice facility, people and organization. They were a good group to work with.