7/29/2019 Blood Donors Info Sheet

1/2

Blutspendedienst SRK Bern AG | Postfach 5512 | 3001 Bern | Gratisnummer 0800 80 30 60 | F +41 31 384 23 24 | www.meinlebendeinblut.ch | info bsd-be.ch

Risks for the donor

Blood donation involves venipuncture on the inner side o the elbow and the

withdrawal o almost 500 ml o blood in about 10 minutes. This rapid blood loss

is generally well tolerated by a person in good health. Certain questions o the

medical questionnaire, checking o the blood pressure and haemoglobin level

may prevent you rom donating blood i a situation is oreseeable which might

be dangerous or your health. Nevertheless, in spite o these precautionary

measures, certain undesirable events cannot be completely avoided:

a transitory blood pressure drop, local reactions at the puncture site

(haematoma or lesion o the underlying nerve).

Most o these events are harmless and o very short duration. Nevertheless

exceptional complications (e.g. reduced mobility o the arm) cannot be totally

excluded. Your transusion centre will give you useul advice on the best way

to avoid or treat these.

Precautionary measures to reduce the risk for the recipient

of your blood donation:

1. Risk situationsThere is a risk whenever inectious agents in your blood are transmitted to a

patient even i you are not sick or do not eel sick. Your answers to the medical

questionnaire allow us to evaluate this risk. The BTS SRC has established clear

guidance to determine your suitability to donate blood. Consequently you may

be excluded rom blood donation, either or a transitory period or permanently.

The following risk situations represent a permanent contraindicationfor blood donation

1. Positive test or the biological markers o AIDS (HIV), syphilis, hepatitis C

and persisting/active hepatitis B

2. Male sexual intercourse* with one or more men since 1977

3. Sexual intercourse or money since 1977

4. Drug injection (at present or in the past)

5. Coagulation diseases treated with blood components(plasma or ractions)

The following risk situations represent a temporary contraindicationfor blood donation

6. Stay during the past 6 months in a region where malaria is endemic,

without any health problem (in case o illness with ever, tell the doctor

in charge o donors, the contraindicated time or blood donation being

longer in this case).

7. Gonorrhoea or any other sexually transmitted disease during the past

12 months

8. Change o sexual partner* during the past 6 months9. Sexual intercourse* with multiple partners during the past 12 months

10. Stay o at least 6 months in the past 5 years in countries where AIDS is

epidemic

11. Sexual intercourse* during the past 12 months with partners exposed

to one o the risk situations mentioned under 1 to 5 or 7 to 10

12. Sexual intercourse* during the past 12 months with partners having

received blood transusions or blood product transusions during the

past 5 years in countries where AIDS is epidemic.

*whether protected or not

2. Biological tests

The systematic screening or the AIDS virus, hepatitis virus (B and C) and thesyphilis agent takes place at each blood donation. Should one o the tests give

a reactive result, you will immediately be inormed and the blood you donated

will not be transused. However there is always a certain lapse o time between

the moment o inection and the moment when biological tests start being re-

active. It is thus possible that an inectious agent is transmitted to the recipient

without the transusion centre knowing and preventing it. Thereore a truthul

answer is essential.

In the same way, blood group ABO, Rhesus D and possibly other important

blood groups in transusion medicine are determined or each donor (i neces-

sary by genetic methods).

Please consider reverse page

Information sheet for blood donors

11.

2011

Version

y/01

7/29/2019 Blood Donors Info Sheet

2/2

Blutspendedienst SRK Bern AG | Postfach 5512 | 3001 Bern | Gratisnummer 0800 80 30 60 | F +41 31 384 23 24 | www.meinlebendeinblut.ch | info bsd-be.ch

3. Please inform your Blood Transfusion Centreas soon as possible, if:

you fall sick in the course of the next few days or if a person in your family

circle starts suering rom a contagious disease,

you realize that you did not answer the medical questionnaire correctly,

your blood donation is followed by complications.

Proven harm may be covered by civil liability insurance.

Inormation given in connection with a blood donation is subject to medical

secrecy. It can only be used by the Blood Transusion Service SRC and the Re-

gional Blood Transusion Service.

4. What you also need to observe:

Before the blood donation

In order to ensure that your blood donation proceeds as smoothly and as

pleasantly as possible, typical situations in which blood donors may not donate

temporarily or permanently or health-related or medical reasons are listed

below. Prepare or your blood donation by drinking as much uid and eating

something beorehand. Bring with you some personal photo identifcation and

plan sufcient time or the donation. I you have any questions eel ree to call

us on 0800 80 30 60 (toll-free call)

After the blood donation

Take some time to have a snack and wait at least 30 minutes before you

start driving again

Bus and train drivers and those with similar responsibility for the lives of

others should wait at least 12 hours ater the blood donation beore resum-

ing work; pilots should wait at least 48 hours. Donors with hobbies such as

diving or parachuting should wait at least 48 hours ater the blood donation

beore resuming their hobby

Strenuous physical exertion should be avoided until the day after the blood

donation. Those who take part in endurance sports should not donate or at

least 1 month beore major competitions

5. Medical reasons preventing a blood donation on grounds of safety:

You should not donate temporarily:

After all investigations and treatments at the dentist or dental

hygienist (72 hours -1 week)

After feverish illnesses with a temperature above 38 C (4 weeks after

recovery)

After taking certain medicines: e.g. antibiotics, tablets for fungal infections

(2 weeks)

If you are regularly taking painkillers, medicines against allergies (until you

have stopped taking the medicines)

After operations

After tattooing procedures (4 months)

After jaundice (2 years)

During pregnancy and for 1 year after giving birth

If you are receiving iron treatment: after 1 treatment = 1 month, after 2 or

more treatments = at the doctors discretion

While cold sores persist

After vaccinations: diphtheria, tetanus, u, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) =

2 days; measles, mumps and rubella = 4 weeks

Gastrointestinal endoscopy (4 months)

Beore elective surgery (decided by our doctor in charge o donors)

After a stay in areas with an increased infection risk

You should not donate permanently:

If you are taking certain medicines: cancer drugs (chemotherapy agents),

heart drugs (digitalis, nitroglycerine)

After receiving a transplant from someone else

If you have angina pectoris or have had a heart attack or heart surgery

If you have cancer (even after surgery), except for a basal cell carcinoma

(ater complete recovery) and cervical carcinoma in situ

A stay in the UK (for a total of 6 months between 1980 and 1996)

Blood transfusion since 1980

Since this list is not exhaustive, please ask for further details if nec-

essary before giving blood.

Thank you for your cooperation; if you have any questions feel free

to call us on 0800 80 30 60 (toll-free call).

Donors may be from 18 to 75 years of age. Call 0800 80 30 60 (toll-free call) for further details.