Blood donation and false positives ban

Boardzee

Something similar to this has been raised before, but I'm looking to open this to discussion rather than raise a personal issue.

I donated blood for the third time last March. Shortly after, I got a letter from the IBTS to say my donation scored a false positive (it firstly tested positive for a disease on their listed, but after further rigorous testing it tested negative; i.e., I don't have the disease) I study statistics in college and understand completely how and why this happens in testing so I am in no way worried by it, but what does annoy me is the fact that I can not donate indefinitely.
I appreciate it is irrelevant to their decision-making in my case, but the reason I feel so strongly about it is because I have delicious 0- blood (the only type of blood which can be given to anyone, used in medical emergencies where they don't have the time to test the patient's blood type, and the only blood type other O- people can receive from) which is going to waste. While the IBTS cry out for donors, I can't help despite passing everything on their rigorous checklist.

I have done some research and it appears the Red Cross in the USA and the Canadian blood board operate the same policy. I've found accounts of people who have donated regularly all of their life and because of an error with testing (sometimes because the tester performs the test in the wrong way), they can never donate again.

I can understand why a donation is thrown out if it produces a false positive (I wouldn't like to receive a donation where this had happened), but I feel the IBTS are limiting themselves if they are rejecting potential donors based on statistical inaccuracies with their testing procedures.

Opinions?

Kurtosis

Agreed, it is odd that they exclude people from donating on the basis of the specificity of a screening test. However the IBTS are very conservative with regard to their broad precautionary exclusion criteria. Could there be some other factor associated with false positives such as a person's blood cell antigens that may a cause for concern in blood transfusions?

L1011

The IBTS are ridiculously conservative in nearly every criteria they do apply, while wilfully ignoring risks in some of them (e.g. the rules relating to prostitution). They won't take my O- blood either.

They use the Anti-D debacle as cover for this, despite that being caused by buying in blood product from a country that didn't have even basic rules.

Dingle_berry

MYOB wrote: »

They use the Anti-D debacle as cover for this, despite that being caused by buying in blood product from a country that didn't have even basic rules.

The anti-D scandal was caused by using donations that tested positive for Hep C.

Yes the IBTS is extremely conservative in its policies but that is the cheapest and easiest way to ensure something like the Anti-D/HepC scandal doesn't happen again.

If you can't donate for whatever reason then support others efforts to donate. Encourage eligible donors, accompany nervous donors, cover for colleagues so they can go donate, organise a work blood drive with the IBTS, etc.

Abby19

Boardzee wrote: »

Something similar to this has been raised before, but I'm looking to open this to discussion rather than raise a personal issue.

I donated blood for the third time last March. Shortly after, I got a letter from the IBTS to say my donation scored a false positive (it firstly tested positive for a disease on their listed, but after further rigorous testing it tested negative; i.e., I don't have the disease) I study statistics in college and understand completely how and why this happens in testing so I am in no way worried by it, but what does annoy me is the fact that I can not donate indefinitely.
I appreciate it is irrelevant to their decision-making in my case, but the reason I feel so strongly about it is because I have delicious 0- blood (the only type of blood which can be given to anyone, used in medical emergencies where they don't have the time to test the patient's blood type, and the only blood type other O- people can receive from) which is going to waste. While the IBTS cry out for donors, I can't help despite passing everything on their rigorous checklist.

I have done some research and it appears the Red Cross in the USA and the Canadian blood board operate the same policy. I've found accounts of people who have donated regularly all of their life and because of an error with testing (sometimes because the tester performs the test in the wrong way), they can never donate again.

I can understand why a donation is thrown out if it produces a false positive (I wouldn't like to receive a donation where this had happened), but I feel the IBTS are limiting themselves if they are rejecting potential donors based on statistical inaccuracies with their testing procedures.

Opinions?

The IBTS has a standard process for testing which is rigorous. In this process your blood is showing a false positive. And they probably had to do more extensive, expensive, time-consuming tests to show that it was a false positive (rigorous testing you said). But if you have some protein or antigen in your blood that reacts to their test kit, then every time you donate in future they cannot assume that it is a false positive, they have to repeat the extensive, expensive, time-consuming tests to show that it was a false positive, each and every time. As there is always a risk that you have somehow been exposed and now your blood is not safe for transfusion.

The tests they do on blood donation are expensive as it is, and the donations have a finite life span. So time consuming tests eat into that lifespan (though I'd hazard a guess that O-neg is most likely used up). Also remember that the people that need blood are sick, and if there is something in your blood, that is merely a natural variation and normal for you, but that skews blood tests, or that they could react to is maybe not the best thing for them.

Yes it is a pain when all you want to do is help, but unfortunately given various histories such as anti-D, HIV in Factor VIII for haemophiliacs, etc., it is quite understandable that they would be cautious. As someone else above mentioned maybe raise awareness of donation, you could also suggest your family do so, as they may also be O-neg.