Donor Reactions

[stu]

Hi all:

How do you determine what is a mild reaction? Moderate? Severe? I am looking to update some SOP's for our donor program and would like to see what everyone else is doing.

Also, If anyone has a good form for documenting reactions that they would like to share..........

Thanks

[Tom Neish]

Stu,

Send me you email address and I can share some material with you.

Tom

tneish@unch.unc.edu

[heathervaught]

We define our reactions this way:

ALL DONORS

LIGHT: Pallor, sweating, nervousness, lightheadedness, hyperventilation, weakness, nausea, vomiting, itching/rash at phlebotomy site, tingling/numbness of fingers, muscle cramps (for apheresis donors)

WHOLE BLOOD DONORS

MODERATE: Fainting without injury, Irregular pulse, incontenence

SEVERE: Fainting with injury, chest pain, cardiac arrest, involuntary movements

APHERESIS DONORS

(WB criteria also applies)

MODERATE: facial flushing, abdominal cramping, perineal pain, chest pain, hypertension, involuntary movements

SEVERE: Dyspnea/respiratory distress, hemolysis, chest or back pain, headache, anaphylaxis, and cardiac arrhythmia

For all donors, a moderate reaction continuing 15 minutes or more is considered a Moderate reaction. A moderate reaction continuing 30 minutes or more is a sever reaction.

[rahul123]

at hospital where i work, patient in oncology ward get irradiated blood product . but when patient transfer to SICU or MICU or in operation room .the doctor or nurses there will not request for irradiated porduct any more > some time we remember the patient name wil ask them if they want irradiated . my questions; 1- is this blood bank job to remind the nurses and continued issue the pateint irradiated blood or is the job or doctor . 2- when patient stop using irradiated blood then when they go back to oncology ward they will go back to use irradiated product . any side effect or will not affect them ??

[GbreadMan]

I once saw a plateletpheresis donor have a petit-mal seizure. The phlebotomists were all around him constantly asking him to cough while he started into space for several minutes (or what seemed like several minutes). Is this common?