When do they test donated blood

Standards Portal. Accredited Member Tools. Accredited Facilities. Transfusion Medicine. Patient Blood Management. Donor History Questionnaires. Regulatory Affairs. Regulatory for Blood and Blood Components. Regulatory Resources. Infectious Diseases. Regulatory for Cellular Therapies. About AABB. Contact Us. Corporate Services. Get Involved. Why Donate Blood? About Blood Donation. Find a DNA Lab. About the Donation Process. Expand All Collapse All.

How much blood is taken? Are the history questions necessary every time I donate? If I was deferred once before, am I still ineligible to donate? If I just received a flu shot, can I donate blood? There is no waiting period to donate after receiving a flu shot. If I have a cold or the flu, can I donate blood? No, blood centers require that you be in good health symptom-free and feeling well.

Can I still donate if I have high blood pressure? Yes, if your blood pressure falls within the limits set by FDA regulations. What if I'm taking aspirin or medication prescribed by my doctor?

This is to make sure that patients receive blood that matches their blood type. Before transfusion, the donor and blood unit are also tested for certain proteins antibodies that may cause adverse reactions in a person receiving a blood transfusion. All blood for transfusion is tested for evidence of certain infectious disease pathogens, such as hepatitis B and C viruses and human immunodeficiency virus HIV.

The tests used to screen donated blood are listed below. The chance of having a reaction to a blood transfusion is very small. The most common adverse reactions from blood transfusions are allergic and febrile reactions, which make up over half of all adverse reactions reported.

Rare but serious adverse reactions include infection caused by bacterial contamination of blood products and immune reactions due to problems in blood type matching between donor and recipient. An allergic reaction results from an interaction of an allergen in the transfused blood with preformed antibodies in the person receiving the blood transfusion.

In some instances, infusion of antibodies from the donor may be involved. The reaction may present only with irritation of the skin or mucous membranes but can also involve serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing.

An acute hemolytic transfusion reaction is the rapid destruction of red blood cells that occurs during, immediately after, or within 24 hours of a transfusion when a patient is given an incompatible blood type. A delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction occurs when the recipient develops antibodies to red blood cell antigens between 24 hours and 28 days after a transfusion.

Symptoms are usually milder than in acute hemolytic transfusion reactions and may even be absent. DHTR is diagnosed with laboratory testing. A delayed serologic transfusion reaction occurs when a recipient develops new antibodies against red blood cells between 24 hours and 28 days after a transfusion without clinical symptoms or laboratory evidence of hemolysis.

Clinical symptoms are rarely associated with DSTR. Febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions are the most common reaction reported after a transfusion.

FNHTR is characterized by fever or chills in the absence of hemolysis breakdown of red blood cells occurring in the patient during or up to 4 hours after a transfusion. Your blood will be tested to determine your blood type and your Rh factor. The Rh factor refers to the presence or absence of a specific antigen — a substance capable of stimulating an immune response — in the blood. You'll be classified as Rh positive or Rh negative, meaning you do or don't carry the antigen.

This information is important because your blood type and Rh factor must be compatible with the blood type and Rh factor of the person receiving your blood. Your blood will also be tested for bloodborne diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV.

If these tests are negative, the blood is distributed for use in hospitals and clinics. If any of these tests are positive, the donor center notifies you, and your blood is discarded. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.

Overview Blood donation is a voluntary procedure that can help save the lives of others. Whole blood donation This is the most common type of blood donation, during which you donate about a pint about half a liter of whole blood. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references FAQs about blood and blood donation. Accessed Feb 8, Requirements by donation type.

American Red Cross. Accessed June 22, Donation FAQs. Blood safety basics. This is a safety measure to protect donors and staff from Covid Medical-grade masks are more effective in preventing the transmission of coronavirus. This is important as the newer variants of coronavirus are more infectious.

A mask will be offered to all donors who are wearing a face covering when they attend clinic. IBTS staff will be wearing masks throughout the process. More Information here regarding Covid measures in place.

Thank you for your donation, your help and co-operation. The IBTS performs laboratory tests for multiple disease markers on every donor who attends our clinics and these tests include:.

Any donor sample that is positive with any one of the tests above cannot be used for transfusion purposes and is discarded. Further testing is carried out to confirm true infection as distinct from a non-specific false reaction. The IBTS also performs selective laboratory tests for certain disease markers on particular donors and these tests include Cytomegalovirus CMV West Nile Virus WNV Our testing systems are highly sensitive and specific for each disease marker even at low concentrations in donor blood samples.

Each donor sample is tested individually. The testing systems are fully automated and compliant with EU regulations to produce accurate, reliable and consistent results. Serology based assays test for viral antibodies in donor blood samples which trigger a positive test reaction.

All positive donors are informed if any virus is detected in their donor sample s. However, donor samples can also test falsely positive for any viral marker. Further testing will be carried out to confirm the presence or absence of true infection in conjunciton with consultation from our medical personnel. Many improvements have been made in testing methodologies including the addition of testing for a second HIV agent HIV-2 in