Photo courtesy Lethbridge News Now

By David Opinko

BLOOD DONATION

New changes announced for blood donation processes in Canada

Sep 1, 2019 | 9:05 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Canadian Blood Services (CBS) will be making a series of changes that it says will “reduce blood donor screening and rest time for repeat donors, resulting in a shorter donation time without impacting the safety of the donor.”

Effective September 29th, 2019, blood donors will only need to have their blood pressure measured before their first donations, donors will not be deferred for having a low body temperature, and first-time donors will not be deferred from donating for having an out-of range blood temperature.

CBS says recent studies and industry best practices show that these donor screening requirements are no longer necessary.

“New evidence indicates that measuring blood pressure doesn’t have an impact on the safety or wellness of blood donors,” reads a press release from CBS. “In fact, blood operators in countries such as Denmark and the United Kingdom do not measure donor blood pressure during screening.”

Back in March of 2019, the agency took steps to ensure donors are properly hydrated, had good sodium levels, and had applied muscle tension before donation.

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For example, donors are now given 500 ml of water and a salty snack with 450 mg of sodium before donating, blood donors are encouraged to perform muscle tension exercises, enhanced pressure bandages are applied to all whole blood donors to help prevent re-bleeding.