Blood donation

• Healthy, volunteer donors
• Meet minimum criteria
  • Hb 135 g/L for men, Hb 125g/L women
  • Weight 50kg
• Blood safety
  • Donor selection questionnaire
  • Contact details if becomes unwell post donation

Blood processing and testing

• Bag of whole blood centrifuged to separate into component parts
• Samples undergo microbiological testing - HIV, hep B, hep B, Hep E, HTLV, syphilis
• Red cells stored at 4℃ for 35 days
• FFP stored -30℃ for 3 years
• Platelets stored at 22℃ for 7 days with agitation

Products available from a blood donation

• Blood components - red cells, FFP, platelets, cryoprecipitate
• Blood products - anti-D immunglobulin, prothrombin complex concentrate
• Blood products from pharmacy - IV immunoglobulin, human albumin, specific Ig

Blood groups

• Membrane of red cells contains may different antigens
• Which antigens will be expressed is determined by which blood group antigen genes we inherit from our parents
• 38 different families of blood group systems have been identified

ABO system

• Coded for by the ABO gene which is located on chromosome 9