2023-10-09 11:13:01
by Ruggiero Corcella
Donating blood in our country remains a voluntary and free gesture of solidarity. A handbook with everything you need to know to become a donor
After Fedez’s appeal (as soon as I get back in strength I want to do something for Avis, to invite others to donate blood he told Corriere), it seems we have realized the importance of donating blood. At least in Milan, yesterday the requests from young people between 18 and 35 to become donors registered a surge and, hopefully, there will be a domino effect throughout the country. But how do you donate blood? Where to go? We try to answer these and other questions with the sheets of the Ministry of Health, of National blood center e di Avis.
Some data on donors in Italy
In 2022 there were 1,660,227 donors, up 0.4% compared to the previous year. Italy remains self-sufficient in blood collection, although a decline of 0.6% was recorded (in 2022, 2,497,773 units of red blood cells were collected compared to 2,395,667 units transfused). However, we are still far from achieving self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicines and for this reason our country is still forced to import approximately 25% of the stocks of these medicines used in the treatment of numerous pathologies from abroad. More precisely, 843,000 kg of plasma were collected in 2022, more than 2.2% less than the previous year.
Among the causes that have led to the decline in donations is the shortage of healthcare personnel, which has led to a reduction in collection days. Furthermore, we note the progressive aging of the donor population, which does not seem to correspond to an adequate generational turnover. Overall, donors aged between 18 and 45 recorded a drop of 2% in one year.
The donation is a gesture of solidarity and free of charge
The first thing to know is that donating blood in our country cannot have a monetary compensation. It remains a voluntary and free act of solidarity. Why become a donor? Some data can help to understand better: every 11 seconds a patient needs a blood transfusion. To save the life of a person injured in a serious accident, up to ten bags of blood are needed; up to 40 bags are needed for a liver transplant.
A person suffering from thalassemia needs about 25 blood transfusions a year to live. To produce drugs essential to treat a patient with haemophilia, 1,200 plasma donations are needed. Thanks to the generosity of donors (volunteers), in our country approximately three million transfusions are carried out per year and, every day, the lives of approximately 1,800 people are saved.
But just 2.7 percent of Italians donate blood and plasma. The Ministry of Health recently launched the Donate life, donate blood campaign in collaboration with the National Blood Center and with the involvement of institutional partners, associations and federations of voluntary blood donors. The common objective is to increase the number of new donors, retain those who donate occasionally, involve younger people to carry out this fundamental gesture to save human lives.
Who should you contact to donate blood?
You can go to one of the 278 blood transfusion services or hospital collection points throughout Italy, to one of the approximately 1,300 collection units set up by a volunteer association (the main ones are Avis, Red Cross, trust e Brothers). Alternatively, however, it is possible to donate blood in a mobile unit, the so-called blood banks, accredited and authorized by the competent regional authorities.
Here is the map of the centers edited by the National Blood Center.
How to donate blood: booking
Even if not everyone requests it, it is always useful to contact the facility first and book a donation. In this way, queues and long waits can be avoided, also facilitating the work of the staff involved in the donation process.
Who can donate: the requirements
Blood donation is open to all Italian and foreign citizens who have a valid identity document (some facilities, depending on the IT systems adopted, may also require a health card). The physical requirements To be able to donate the following are required: age between 18 and 65 (the donation of whole blood by periodic donors over the age of 65 up to 70 can be permitted following clinical evaluation of the main risk factors related to ‘et.
People who express the desire to donate for the first time after the age of 60 can be accepted at the discretion of the doctor responsible for the selection); minimum body weight of 50 kilograms; good state of health. Other criteria Before being able to donate, the doctor will have to verify that there are other conditions necessary for donation. Blood pressure: systolic less than or equal to 180 mmHg diastolic less than or equal to 100 mmHg.
In case of present or past illnesses: always inform the selecting doctor of any present or past illnesses and specify, if necessary, whether and which drugs are taken regularly as therapy. Depending on the pathologies (present, past or chronic), there are protocols that provide for the possibility of donating, but also the possible permanent exclusion or temporary suspension from donation.
The procedures: fill out the questionnaire
Anyone wishing to donate must bring a valid identity document with them. Once you arrive at the transfusion service or collection unit, you will have to: fill in a questionnaire which will be used by the selecting doctor to identify any reasons for temporary suspension or exclusion from donation. The questionnaire must be signed by the donor and the doctor responsible for selecting the donors.
The interview
After completing the questionnaire, there will be an interview with the doctor to delve deeper into some of the answers provided in the questionnaire. If, after the preliminary interview, the doctor believes that the donor’s health conditions are not optimal at the moment, the candidate will be able to return at another time or will have to abstain from donating. Excluded donors are always provided with all the reasons that led to the postponement or exclusion.
Analyzes
After the interview with the doctor, blood samples are taken from the person who wants to become a donor to carry out tests to ensure that the blood collected is safe and suitable for a future transfusion. The following tests are carried out on blood samples: HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis tests, complete blood count, determination of blood group and hemoglobin level in the blood (levels must be equal to or greater than 13.5 g/dL in men equal to or greater than 12.5 g/dL in women).
The donor’s blood pressure is then measured (systolic less than or equal to 180 mmHg, diastolic less than or equal to 100 mmHg) and heart rate (it must be regular, between 50 and 100 beats/minute). If the laboratory tests carried out reveal any anomaly, the donor is promptly informed and invited to carry out further tests and specialist visits.
Immediate or deferred donation
Depending on the policies adopted by the chosen structure, the donor, having passed the selection, will proceed with an immediate donation or will be able to return home and will be summoned at a later time by the transfusion service or collection unit (deferred donation).
Whole blood donation: every three months
At the time of donation the aspiring donor will be directed towards choosing the type of donation best suited to his characteristics. The most common procedure is whole blood donation: whole blood can be donated every 3 months for males and women not of childbearing age, twice a year for women of childbearing age, the procedure takes about 15 minutes. Once a bag, equal to 450 ml, has been collected, the blood is broken down into its three main components (red blood cells, plasma, platelets), which will then be used separately.
Plasma donation: every 14 days
The most frequent alternative is plasma donation, which is obtained through a process called plasmapheresis. It lasts about 50 minutes and can be obtained thanks to a cell separator connected to the cannula (the needle that is inserted into the vein). This separator separates the plasma from other blood cells, which are reinfused into the bloodstream.
In plasma exchange, approximately 600-700 ml of plasma are collected and the donation time depends on the blood flow of the individual: the faster the donation takes, the shorter it takes. The donated plasma is reconstituted in a short time and it is possible to donate every 14 days. Plasma donation, as well as for transfusions, is also used for the production of plasma-derived medicines, such as albumin or immunoglobulins.
Platelet donation
A less frequent alternative is the so-called plateletpheresis, i.e. the donation of platelets alone. Donating platelets: the procedure similar to that of plasmapheresis lasts about an hour and a half: an equipment separates the corpuscular part from the plasma and extracts the platelets from it which are collected in a special bag. The plasma, red blood cells and white blood cells are returned to the donor. It is possible to carry out up to 6 platelet apheresis per year. The donation of platelets serves to create, among other things, compounds, known as platelet gels, which are mainly used to accelerate the healing processes.
Multiple donations
Cell separators also allow you to carry out so-called multiple donations, i.e. donating several blood elements at the same time: donation of plasma and red blood cells (erythroplasmapheresis) donation of red blood cells and platelets (erythroplateletpheresis) donation of platelets collected in two bags, a donation of plasma and platelets (plasma plateletpheresis).
After the donation: refreshment and rest. What to do next
After the donation, the donor will have to rest for a few minutes in the armchair or on the blood collection table and will then receive refreshment, which is useful for rebalancing hydration and compensating for the loss of fluids. The donor will then be provided with a series of information on the behavior to be followed in the period following the donation.
The work permit
The blood donor, an employee, has the right to obtain a work permit for the entire day in which he donates, maintaining his normal salary for the entire working day (art.8, law 219/2005). After the donation, the staff of the transfusion service or collection unit will issue the donor a certificate of completion of the donation which must then be delivered to the employer. For aspiring donors, employees, who will be deemed unsuitable for donation, the work permit will only cover the time necessary to ascertain suitability and the related procedures. The unsuitability for donation is certified by the doctor of the transfusion service or collection unit and the certification will be delivered to the employer.
October 9, 2023 (modified October 9, 2023 | 11:12)
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