A 6 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF BLOOD DONOR DEFERRAL IN BLOOD CENTRE OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN NORTHEAST INDIA

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Blood transfusion is a life-saving intervention. Around the
globe, there has always been an issue with the lack of blood donors. For a variety of
reasons, many prospective blood donors are turned away from blood transfusion
facilities. Deferrals result in the loss of valuable blood and the components that are
still usable for transfusion. Analysing the reasons and frequency of these deferrals
can help in reducing such wastage. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the
deferral pattern and different causes of blood donor deferral in the blood bank of
TMCH, Tezpur. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a record-based retrospective
study conducted at Tezpur Medical College and Hospital over a period of 6 years
from January 2018 to December 2023. All the donors were screened in accordance
with the National guidelines. Data was analyzed with respect to age, sex, type of
donors, type of deferral, and reasons for deferral. RESULTS: A total of 2213
(6.10%) donors were deferred out of 36249 registered donors. Registered donors
consisted of 33700 (92.97%) males and 2549(7.03%) females. Low haemoglobin
(46.23%) was found to be the most common cause of deferring the donors, incidence
of deferral of males (6.12 %) was more as compared to females (5.88%). Overall
temporary deferrals were more (84.04%) as compared to permanent deferrals
(15.96%). CONCLUSION: Regular analysis of the causes, frequency, and deferral
patterns of blood donors, along with close follow-ups of temporarily deferred donors,
will help maintain and recruit a healthy donor pool on a larger scale.