Evaluation of blood donor deferral causes: a tertiary-care center-based study

Background: Donor selection is necessary in addition to the screenings of blood bags for infectious diseases. Deferrals lead to loss of precious blood/components available for transfusion. For preventing this, we should be having knowledge of causes of deferral and their frequency. Objectives: To evaluate blood donor deferral causes and possibility of donor retrieval. Materials and Methods: Causes of donor deferral were evaluated retrospectively from January 2013 to July 2014 in the blood bank of C.U. Shah Medical College, Surendranagar, Gujarat, India. Totally 14,347 donors were screened, and of them, 660 donors were considered to be deferred. Results: Temporary deferral was more common than permanent deferral. The most common cause in permanent deferral was HBsAg positivity (23.64%). Causes among temporary deferral were anemia (Hb < 12.5%) (24.11%), followed by jaundice, weight < 45 kg, age older than 18 years, patients on antibiotic, previous donation in last 3 months, typhoid in last 1 year, dog bite, and so on. Conclusion: Analysis of deferral patterns may help medical personnel and doctors to be more focused in donor screening, especially of those who are having higher frequency. Temporarily deferred donors require proper follow-up and management so as not to lead to a diminished supply of future donors. It is important to determine the rate and causes of blood donor deferral for the safety of blood/component transfusion and to guide the recruitment efforts to prevent loss of precious blood/components at the local, national, and international levels.