Blood Donor Eligibility Guide
Please note that this information is intended to provide general guidelines. It is always advised to consult with the screener at the Suncoast Blood Center location for specific eligibility questions or concerns. Remember that it is important that you communicate your feeling of overall well-being while in the donation process
There are no restrictions on donating blood if you have recently undergone acupuncture by a licensed practitioner who uses sterile needles.
In Florida, individuals must be at least 16 years old to donate blood. If you are under 16, you will need parental or guardian consent.
If you have no fever, can comfortably breathe through your mouth and generally feel okay, it is safe to donate blood – even if you have allergies or common cold symptoms.
You cannot donate if you have an acute infection (bacterial or viral) that can be transmitted through blood. However, if you have finished an oral antibiotic and took the last pill on the day of donation, you may be eligible to donate. Injectable antibiotics require a waiting period of 10 days before donating. Some specific reasons for taking antibiotics to treat infections do not automatically disqualify you from donating. These include acne, chronic prostatitis, peptic ulcer, periodontal disease, pre-dental work, rosacea, ulcerative colitis, splenectomy or valvular heart disease.
For whole blood donations, it is acceptable to donate while taking aspirin. However, if you are donating platelets, you must wait for two full days after taking aspirin. It is important to communicate any use of asthma medication and overall well-being during the donation process.
You are eligible to donate as long as you meet the following criteria:
· You do not have limitations on your daily activities.
· You are not experiencing difficulty breathing at the time of donation.
· Having asthma and taking medications for it does not disqualify you from donating.
It is safe to donate while on birth control, including oral contraceptives or other hormonal methods.
If you have a bleeding disorder that affects normal blood clotting or if you are taking blood thinners, you are not eligible to donate blood. However, individuals with Factor V who are not on blood thinners may still be able to donate. Other bleeding disorders require evaluation by the screener at the Suncoast Blood Center location.
You may donate blood if you meet all eligibility criteria and donation intervals, regardless of your blood iron count.
If your blood pressure is below 180/100, you are eligible to donate blood. It is recommended to avoid caffeine and energy drinks before donation, as they can elevate blood pressure.
If you are feeling well and your blood pressure is at least 90/50, you can donate blood, even if you have low blood pressure.
After receiving a transfusion from another person, you must wait three months before donating blood.
Eligibility for donating blood after cancer treatment depends on the type of cancer and the duration of successful treatment. Completing 12 months of treatment with successful outcomes may make you eligible. It is important to have a discussion with the screener at the Suncoast Blood Center location to determine your specific situation.
You can donate blood if you have a chronic illness and it is under control, you feel well, and you meet all other requirements for donation.
If you have a fever, a sore throat, a sinus or lung infection, or are coughing phlegm, it is best to wait until you have fully recovered before donating blood. Refer to the “Antibiotics” section for further guidance.
If you have been diagnosed with or received injections related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), or if you have had a dura matter transplant, you are not eligible to donate blood.
You can donate blood after dental procedures or oral surgery if there is no infection. If antibiotics are prescribed, you should wait until the course is completed. After surgery, a waiting period of three days is recommended before donating blood.
If your diabetes is controlled through insulin or oral medication, you are eligible to donate blood.
The waiting periods between different types of donations are as follows:
· Two months between whole (red) blood donations.
· Seven days between platelet donations.
· Sixteen weeks between Power Red (automated) donations.
· One month between plasma donations.
Eligibility criteria apply to men who have sex with other men, with a waiting period of at least three months. Gender is self-identified and self-reported for the purpose of blood donation. For more information regarding FDA policies for LGBTQ+ donors, it is advisable to consult with the blood center.
You are not eligible to donate blood if you have been exposed to or diagnosed with the Ebola virus.
Individuals with heart disease can donate blood if they have been medically evaluated, treated, and have had no related symptoms in the last six months. If you have angina or after a heart attack, you must wait a minimum of six months to donate, and a minimum of six months following bypass or angioplasty. If you have a pacemaker, you can donate if your pulse is between 50 and 100 beats per minute and you meet other criteria.
If you have been medically evaluated and have no restrictions on your daily activities, you are eligible to donate blood, even with a heart murmur or valve disorder.
If you have hereditary hemochromatosis, a condition characterized by excessive iron absorption, you are not eligible to donate blood. This is to ensure the safety and well-being of both the donor and the recipient. However, it’s important to consult with the screener at the Suncoast Blood Center location to discuss your specific situation and determine your eligibility for donation. The screener can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information based on your medical history and current condition.
If you are experiencing signs or symptoms of hepatitis, such as inflammation of the liver or unexplained jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin), caused by a viral infection or if you have tested positive for hepatitis B or hepatitis C at any age, you are not eligible to donate blood.
If you have lived or had sex with someone who has hepatitis, you must wait 12 months before donating blood. Individuals who have been incarcerated for 72 hours or more, including work release programs and weekend incarcerations, must also wait 12 months from the last date of incarceration.
If you have AIDS, have ever had a positive HIV test or have engaged in activities putting you at risk of being infected with HIV, you are not eligible to donate blood.
You are eligible to donate blood while on hormone replacement therapy.
In most cases, you can donate blood after receiving vaccinations. However, there may be exceptions depending on the specific vaccinations. It is advisable to contact a Suncoast Blood Center location for information on eligibility after receiving particular vaccinations.
If you have an active infection, you must wait until the infection is completely resolved before donating blood. Refer to the “Antibiotics” section for further guidance.
You can donate blood if you use insulin for diabetes management. Please refer to the “Diabetes” section for additional details.
If you have used intravenous drugs prescribed by a physician, such as during hospitalization, you must wait three months before donating blood.
You can donate blood if you are feeling well, have been vaccinated for measles at least four weeks prior to donating, and were born before 1956. If you have been recently vaccinated for measles, you must wait four weeks before donating.
In most cases, you can donate blood while taking medications. However, it is important to discuss all the medications you are currently taking, their frequency, and their purpose with the screener at the blood center.
If you have been diagnosed with or exposed to monkeypox, you should wait a minimum of 21 days before donating blood. Afterward, it is recommended to contact the blood center to discuss your particular situation.
After receiving any type of organ transplant, you should wait three months before donating blood, unless the procedure involved a dura matter transplant. Refer to the “Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)” section for more information.
You can donate blood after waiting for three months following piercings or electrolysis procedures.
You must wait at least six weeks after giving birth before donating blood.
You can donate blood if your pulse is no more than 100 beats per minute and no less than 50.
After treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea, you must wait three months before donating blood. If you have chlamydia, venereal warts or genital herpes and are feeling well, you can donate blood if you meet other eligibility requirements.
If you have the sickle cell trait, you can donate blood. However, if you have sickle cell disease, you are not eligible to donate.
You can donate blood if you do not have an active infection related to your skin condition. Refer to the “Antibiotics” section for further guidance.
In Florida, where the use of sterile needles and non-reused ink is regulated, you can donate blood without waiting. However, in non-regulated states, a waiting period of three months prior to donating is typically required. It is recommended that you discuss your tattoo history with the screener at the Suncoast Blood Center location.
You can donate blood even if you have traveled. However, there may be deferrals from donation based on travel or residency in certain foreign countries. It is advisable to contact the Suncoast Blood Center location for the most up-to-date information regarding travel-related deferrals.
If you have active tuberculosis, you are not eligible to donate blood. However, if you have successfully completed treatment, you can donate blood. Refer to the “Antibiotics” section for further details.
To donate blood, your weight must be at least 110 lbs. Additional height and weight requirements apply to women shorter than 5’5″ and men shorter than 5′.
After waiting for 120 days following the resolution of symptoms related to the Zika virus, you can donate blood.
Donating Blood
According to the 2005 Nationwide Blood Collection and Utilization Survey Report, about 14 million units of whole blood are donated each year. America’s Blood Centers estimates that more than 7.5 million units of whole blood were collected in 2008.
To be eligible to donate blood, a person must be in good health and generally must be at least 16 years of age (although some states permit younger people, with parental consent, to donate). Minimum weight requirements may vary among facilities, but generally, donors must weigh at least 110 pounds. Most blood banks have no upper age limit. All donors must pass the physical and health history examinations given prior to donation. Volunteer donors provide nearly all blood used for transfusion in the United States. The donor’s body replenishes the fluid lost from donation in 24 hours. It may take up to two months to replace the lost red blood cells. Whole blood can be donated once every eight weeks (56 days). Two units of red blood cells can be donated at one time, using a process known as red cell apheresis. This type of donation can be made every 16 weeks.
In order to make the donation experience pleasant you should maintain a healthy diet and the appropriate fluid intake. Also, note the name and dosage of any medications you are taking. Usually, medication does not keep you from donating, but the reason for taking the medication might.
Donating is safe and simple. The entire process takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The actual donation process works like this:
- You will be asked to register by either filling out a form or showing your donor card.
- You will be asked to answer some questions and read some information.
- You will be taken in a confidential room where you will receive a mini health-exam and asked some more questions.
- You will proceed to donor bed where your arm will be cleaned with an antiseptic.
- Your blood will be drawn (the length of time depend on what procedure you choose).
- Following you donation you will receive refreshments.
There are many places where blood donations can be made. Bloodmobiles (mobile blood drives on specially constructed buses) travel to high schools, colleges, churches, and community organizations. People can also donate at community blood centers and hospital-based donor centers. Many people donate at blood drives at their places of work.
- Anyone with a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus).
- Anyone who has ever taken antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV.
- Men who have had sexual contact with other men in the last 3 months.
- Anyone who has ever received clotting factor concentrates.
- Anyone who has had Babesiosis or Chagas disease.
- Anyone who has taken Tegison for Psoriasis.
- Anyone who has had a tattoo in the last four weeks.
- Anyone who spent three months or more in the United Kingdom from 1980 through 1996.
- Anyone who has spent five years in France or Ireland from 1980 through 2001.
While a given individual may be unable to donate, he or she may be able to recruit a suitable donor. Blood banks are always in need of volunteers to assist at blood drives or to organize mobile blood drives. In addition, monetary donations are always welcome to help ensure that blood banks can continue to provide safe blood to those in need.
Receiving Blood
The need for blood is great—on any given day, an average of 40,000 units of donated blood are used each day in the U.S. and Canada. Blood transfusions often are needed for trauma victims — due to accidents and burns — heart surgery, organ transplants, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or other diseases, such as sickle cell disease and Thalassemia. NBDRC reports that in 2001, nearly 29 million units of blood components were transfused. And with an aging population and advances in medical treatments and procedures requiring blood transfusions, the demand for blood continues to increase.
When you come to donate a unit of blood, that unit is not kept in its whole blood form. The unit is centrifuged at high speeds to separate the constituent components from each other. Since red blood cells are the heaviest, they sink to the bottom of the bag. The platelet rich plasma and cryoprecipitate factors settle near the middle of the bag. Each of these components are separated into different bags for treatment as follows:
- Red Blood Cells: Used to increase red cell mass after surgery, to treat patients with anemia. Red cells are stored under refrigeration for up to 42 days, or they may be frozen for up to 10 years.
- Fresh Frozen Plasma: Used to treat clotting disorders, expand blood volume, to treat shock due to plasma loss in burns. FFP is frozen shortly after collection and is stored up to one year.
- Platelets: Used to treat bleeding due to platelet shortage or to treat platelet function abnormalities. Platelets are stored at room temperature with constant agitation for up to 5 days.
- Cryoprecipitate: Used to treat Hemophilia A, Von Willebrand’s disease, and other clotting factor deficiencies. Cryo is made from FFP and may be stored frozen up to one year.
- White Blood Cells: Used to treat patients who cannot produce enough white cells, due to disease or cancer treatment or are unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. They must be transfused within 24 hours after collection.
- Immune Globulin: Given to help fight infectious diseases such as hepatitis.
- Albumin: Used to treat people in shock, and also used in plasma exchanges for seriously ill patients.
One unit of whole blood can help save as many three lives.
It is difficult to put an exact figure on each type of procedure or illness, but listed below are general estimates for the top blood using events:
- Hip Replacement Surgery – 3 to 4 Units
- Leukemia Treatment – 6 to 8 Units
- Stab Wound Treatment – 6 to 12 Units
- Heart Surgery – 6 to 12 Units
- Gastro-Intestinal Bleeding – 5 to 50 Units
- Aortic/Abdominal Aneurysm – 5 to 50 Units
- Traumatic Organ Damage – 10 to 100 Units
- Liver Transplant – 30 to 150 Units
Blood Safety
Yes. Sterile procedures and disposable equipment are used. Each donor’s blood is collected through a new sterile needle, which is discarded after use. No one has contracted any infectious diseases from donating blood.
After blood has been drawn, it is tested for ABO group (blood type) and Rh type (positive or negative), as well as for any unexpected red blood cell antibodies that may cause problems in a recipient. Screening tests also are performed for evidence of donor infection with hepatitis B and C viruses, human immunodeficiency viruses HIV-1 and HIV-2, human T-lymphotropic viruses HTLV-I and HTLV-II, syphilis and West Nile Virus (WNV).
The specific tests currently performed are listed below:
- Hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg
- Hepatitis B core antibody anti-HBc
- Hepatitis C virus antibody anti-HCV
- HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibody anti-HIV-1 and anti-HIV-2
- HTLV-I and HTLV-II antibody anti-HTLV-I and anti-HTLV-II
- Serologic test for syphilis
- Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) for HIV-1 and HCV
- NAT for WNV
The nucleic acid test (NAT) detects the presence of HIV, HCV (Hepatitis C) and WNV (West Nile Virus) in blood using a semi-automated system. It further ensures the safety of blood by permitting earlier detection of HIV, HCV and WNV infections in donors. The NAT system is capable of detecting a few more infectious donors than other tests because it detects viral genes rather than antibodies or antigens. Detections of viral genes permits detection earlier in the infection since the appearance of antibodies requires time for the donor to develop an immune response, and detection of antigens requires time for a higher level of virus to appear in the bloodstream.
General Information About Blood
- Plasma is a mixture of water, sugar, fat, protein, and potassium and calcium salts. It also contains many chemicals that help form the blood clots necessary to stop bleeding. More than 92% of plasma is water. Our blood consists of 55% plasma.
- Red blood cells contain a special protein called hemoglobin, which carries the oxygen we inhale with our lungs to all of the parts of our bodies. It then returns carbon dioxide from our body to our lungs so we can exhale it. Hemoglobin is also responsible for making red blood cells red. We have so many red blood cells that our blood itself appears red, even though it contains more than red blood cells.
- White blood cells are clear round cells that are bigger than red blood cells. White blood cells produce proteins called antibodies that help our bodies fight infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and foreign proteins.
- Platelets aren’t really cells at all; they are just fragments of cells. When we are injured, platelets gather at the site of the injury and stick to the edges of the wound. They release chemicals that help start the process of blood clotting so that bleeding will stop.
About 8 percent of a person’s weight is blood. The amount of blood varies according to height and weight, but an average man has about 12 pints of blood, and the average woman has about 9 pints.
There are two systems that make up blood type, ABO and Rh. All people belong to one of four inherited blood groups: A, B, AB or O. The letters A and B refer to the kind of antigens that are found on an individual’s red blood cells. An antigen is a protein or carbohydrate on the red cell that triggers an immune response, such as the formation of antibodies. There are four blood types in the ABO system:
- Group A: Blood has A antigen on red cells, and anti-B antibody in the plasma
- Group B: Blood has B antigen on the red cells, and anti-A antibody in the plasma
- Group AB: Blood has both A and B antigens on red cells but neither anti-A antibody nor anti-B antibody in the plasma. Since they lack anti-A and anti-B antigens, persons with AB blood are called universal donors for plasma.
- Group O: Blood has neither A or B antigens on red cells, but both anti-A and anti-B antibodies are in the plasma. Since their red blood cells lack A and B antigens, persons with Group O are called universal donors for red blood cell units.
People also have an inherited antigen on their red blood cells known as Rh or D antigen. When the D antigen is present, a person’s blood is designated Rh positive. When D antigen is missing, the blood type is designated Rh negative. In general, Rh negative is given to Rh negative patients and Rh positive blood to Rh positive patients.
O positive – 37.4% of population. 1 person in 3<br>
A positive – 35.7% of population. 1 person in 3<br>
B positive – 8.5% of population. 1 person in 12<br>
O negative – 6.6% of population. 1 person in 15<br>
A negative – 6.3% of population. 1 person in 16<br>
AB positive – 3.4% of population. 1 person in 29<br>
B negative – 1.5% of population. 1 person in 67<br>
AB negative – 0.6% of population. 1 person in 167
The discovery of many additional blood group factors or antigens outside the ABO/Rh systems has led to the identification of rare blood types. The term “rare blood” implies that only a very small percentage of the population share the same combination of blood group antigens. Racial origin influences the frequency of these blood types.
While donated blood is free, there are significant costs associated with collecting, testing, preparing components, labeling, storing and shipping blood; recruiting and educating donors; and quality assurance. As a result, processing fees are charged to recover costs. Processing fees for individual blood components vary considerably. Processing fees for one specific component also may vary in different geographic regions. Hospitals charge for any additional testing that may be required, such as the crossmatch, as well as for the administration of the blood.
The blood supply level fluctuates throughout the year. During holidays and in the summer, levels tend to fall because donations decline, but demand remains stable or even increases. In addition, policies recommended by the Food and Drug Administration can eliminate, or defer, donors who may be at risk for variant Cruetzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), the human variety of the disease that is commonly known as “mad-cow” disease. Also, FDA can recommend that a potential donor who may be at risk for a transfusion-transmissible disease such as malaria be deferred. These policies reduce the number of people who are eligible to donate.
Eligibility
In general, healthy adults over the age of 16 with no history of blood-borne illness or pathogens are eligible to donate blood. Donors between 16 and 18 years of age are eligible to donate, with a signed parental consent form.
Donors must weigh at least 110 lbs. and be in good health — that means you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes and you want to donate blood, it’s important that you are being treated and the condition is under control. If you’re not feeling well on the day of your donation, please contact us to reschedule.
Additional eligibility criteria apply, including certain medications, medical conditions, travel to certain countries, and personal history.
We are now able to accept most previously deferred military personnel, and their families, who were prohibited from donating because of time spent in Europe. There are still policies in place pertaining to the U.K., France, and Ireland. Please contact Suncoast Blood Centers for more details.
If you have recently received a tattoo or piercing the deferral period has been decreased from 1 year to 3 months, unless applied by a state-regulated entity with sterile needle and non-reused ink.
Travelers who have visited an area in which malaria is considered endemic are deferred for only 3 months instead of 12 months, after departure from the area, if they have been free from symptoms suggestive of malaria.
Yes, as long as a donor is feeling healthy and well and has been asymptomatic for 14 days they are eligible to donate.
