JPAC Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee

Donor Weight

Obligatory

1. Must not donate if:

a) Under 65 kg (10 stone 3 pounds)

b) The donor weight means that they have difficulty in getting onto or off the donation couch.

c) Venous access is very difficult.

d) The safe weight limit of the bleeding couch/chair is exceeded.

e) They are a double red cell donor and weigh under 70 kg (11 stone).

Discretionary

a) If male and over 50kg of weight (7 stone 12 pounds), accept.

b) If female, 20 years of age or older and over 50kg of weight (7 stone 12 pounds), accept.

c) If female, less than 20 years of age with an estimated blood volume of 3500ml or greater (as per chart appendix1), accept.

d) Treatment with anti-obesity drugs, accept.

See if Relevant

Sleep Apnoea

Additional Information

No donor should lose more than 15% of their estimated blood volume (EBV) during any donation procedure. During apheresis procedures the extra corporal volume should not exceed 15% EBV (excluding anticoagulant).
This is to protect the donor from adverse effects such as fainting and becoming anaemic. The ECV is the total volume of blood and plasma removed from the donor at any time. It includes all blood and plasma in collection packs and contained within the machine harness. This is to protect the donor from adverse effects such as fainting and becoming anaemic.

There is a minimum legal donor weight of 50kg at which a donation can be accepted. In young women there is a significant risk of fainting if their donation exceeds 15% of their EBV thus a minimum EBV of 3500ml is needed.

The 50kg lower weight limit is not appropriate for double red cell donations because of the increased volume, and iron that is being taken from the donor.

Information

Part of this entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005. Other parts are related to research in to the reasons why donors faint.

Reason for change

The addition of restrictions to reduce the faint rate in younger female donors in line with recent research and Council of Europe guidance.

Donor Information

If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line.

Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers.

Update Information

This entry was last updated in:
DSG-WB Edition 203, Release 10 Issue 01