What Should I Expect When I Get to the Donor Center?

Getting Started
If you have never donated blood, you may be surprised to discover how painless the process really is! However, many issues need to be addressed before you actually make your first donation. We hope this will provide you with answers to some of your questions as well as other useful information.

Who Can Be A Blood Donor?
Donors at the Blood Donor Center include members of the local community, family members, friends of Clinical Center patients, and employees of the National Institutes of Health. Blood donors are men and women who are at least 17 years of age and who are in good health. Although there is no upper age limit, donors who have passed their 65th birthday are asked to check with their personal physician before becoming a blood donor. In other words, if you want to be a blood donor you have come the right place.

Whether making your 1st or 50th donation, the process is very much the same. Let's follow the donation process as outlined below.

Registration
When you arrive for your scheduled appointment, you are greeted by the donor center receptionist. The receptionist obtains and verifies information such as your address and telephone numbers.

Donor Interview
You are now ready to proceed to the medical screening area, where you read the DONOR ALERT pamphlet. This pamphlet presents important information on behavior that may place individuals at increased risk for exposure to the AIDS virus. Because this virus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, the DONOR ALERT asks those "at risk" for exposure to this virus not to donate blood. The pamphlet is updated as new medical knowledge is gained to provide the safest blood supply.

In the privacy of the screening area, you are joined by an interviewer who obtains your medical history and checks your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. A small blood sample is obtained by pricking your finger to be sure that you have enough blood for yourself and some to share.

It is now that a donor may be disqualified from donating blood either temporarily for such reasons as a cold, or permanently for reasons such as hepatitis. To protect both the donor's privacy and the blood supply, all information obtained during the screening process is considered confidential.

Finally, the interviewer explains the CONFIDENTIAL UNIT-EXCLUSION (CUE) procedure to you. UNIT-EXCLUSION is a very important step in the screening process. It was developed to meet the needs of individuals who learn by reading the DONOR ALERT that they are "at risk" for transmitting disease through their blood, but for some reason, feel compelled to complete the donation procedure. UNIT-EXCLUSION is a way for these people to confidentially withdraw their blood donation from the patient care blood supply before leaving the private screening area. If all systems are go it's on to the donor room.

Donor Room
You will relax in the donor chair while the phlebotomist cleans your arm with special antiseptic solutions. As the needle is inserted into your vein you feel a brief string. Once the needle is in place, you are comfortable and gently squeezes a soft ball. The pint-sized donation is completed in about six minutes. Then the needle is promptly removed.

The sterile collection kits (needles, tubing, bags, etc.) used for whole blood donations are completely disposable and are discarded after each donor's procedure. Therefore, donating a pint of blood never places the donor at risk for contracting any disease such as hepatitis or AIDS.

Refreshments
Every good deed has its reward! After completing your donations, our donors have an opportunity to enjoy a light snack. While your body is already replacing the blood you have donated, our donors facilitate this process by taking a balanced diet and plenty of fluids. A few cookies are just desserts!

Frequency of Donation
Just as blood volume varies from person to person, individuals differ in the frequency with which they feel comfortable donating. The maximum frequency allowable is every eight weeks. A more general guideline recommends no more than five donations per year for males and no more than four times per year for females. Our recruiters are available to help you decide upon a schedule that is right for you. Thousands of healthy men and women remain active blood donors throughout their adult lives. In fact, some donors have donated over 100 times.

Conclusion
If you are at least 17 years old, in good health, and interested in becoming a blood donor, please contact the blood Donor Center.

The Department of Transfusion Medicine,
National Institutes of Health,
Building 10, Room 1N416,
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
(301) 496-1048