Important Information
Careful donor selection and available laboratory tests do NOT eliminate all potential hazards of blood transfusion.
The risk of transmitting infectious agents is present, including bacteria, parasites, viruses, and the agent of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. In addition, blood components may contain immunising substances other than those indicated on the label. For example, a unit of platelets also contains red blood cells and white blood cells.
Transfusion reactions are rare but may be life-threatening. Therefore the Blood Component Information as a whole or in part cannot be considered or interpreted as an expressed or implied warranty of the safety or fitness of the described blood or blood components when used for their intended purpose.
Attention to the specific indications for blood components is needed to avoid inappropriate transfusion. Correctly identifying the patient, both during collection of the pre-transfusion sample and before starting the transfusion, is vital in avoiding ‘wrong blood’ episodes. ABO-incompatible transfusions are usually due to identification errors.
Autologous transfusion techniques, such as intra-operative cell salvage and pre-operative normovolaemic haemodilution, should be considered when appropriate, to reduce the risks of disease transmission and immune reactions from homologous transfusions. Even so, autologous blood does not remove all the risks of transfusion, particularly the risk of bacterial contamination. The risk/benefit profile of not transfusing any product should also be considered.
Blood Donor Selection and Collection of Blood
In Australia, blood and its components are collected at fixed and mobile collection centres, in accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, from volunteer, non-remunerated low-risk donors who have:
- Satisfactorily completed a confidential interview and donor declaration about high-risk behaviour, practices, and circumstances that should cause them to refrain from donating;
- Satisfactorily completed a health assessment that includes a questionnaire on past and present medical conditions;
- Satisfied minimum physiological criteria; and
- Been instructed to contact the blood service, even after donation, with any information that may be relevant to their health or which may affect the suitability of their donation.
Blood collection is undertaken in a manner to ensure the safety of the donor and staff whilst maintaining the safety and efficacy of the collected blood.