M
Marge
Can people who are on coumadin/warfarin donate blood?
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KristyW
Well-known member
Not Sure
Not Sure
Marge,
Not quite sure exactly what this means, but here's a page from our local blood bank
http://www.bonfils.org/bonfils.php?section=donor&page=eligibility
Down towards the bottom they talk about deferrals...Coumadin is in that list without a time. If you can figure it out, let me know.
Not Sure
Marge,
Not quite sure exactly what this means, but here's a page from our local blood bank
http://www.bonfils.org/bonfils.php?section=donor&page=eligibility
Down towards the bottom they talk about deferrals...Coumadin is in that list without a time. If you can figure it out, let me know.
M
Mb
From my understanding, four years ago anyway, they could not donate.
Marybeth
Marybeth
G
Guest
When I have had paatients who wanted to donate their own blood prior to surgery, the local blood bank told me that they had to have the INR less than 2.0. They reluctantly took someone whose INR was 2.1.
It makes sense because they are giving blood to people who have had trouble clotting. If you give anticoagulated bblood to someone it would be almost useless.
It makes sense because they are giving blood to people who have had trouble clotting. If you give anticoagulated bblood to someone it would be almost useless.
M
Marge
allodwick said:
Makes sense. Now why didn't I think of that? :-(
I've always kind of gotten a good feeling from donating blood (my blood is apparently a type that's in demand). I should have seized the window of opportunity--there were a few months between the time they like you to wait after heart surgery, & when I had to go on the coumadin.
M
McCln
What coumadin does is thins the blood, so one who has thin blood cannot donate. It is the same of those who are on asprin regiment for blood thinning for heart attacks. My mother was on coated asprins for years and was told that shoe could not donate blood due to the aspring thinned her blood too much. That is what I have know for years.
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Ross
Well-known member
I got a most affirmative NO from the blood banks here.
Autologous Blood Banking
Autologous Blood Banking
Autologous (self-use) donations are OK. INR within it's normal range when taken. Blood is fully tested for whatever they usually test it for and would not be given to anyone else.
It begs the question though if I don't need it why can't they give it to someone else who is usually anticoagulated? For red blood cells maybe.
Autologous Blood Banking
Autologous (self-use) donations are OK. INR within it's normal range when taken. Blood is fully tested for whatever they usually test it for and would not be given to anyone else.
It begs the question though if I don't need it why can't they give it to someone else who is usually anticoagulated? For red blood cells maybe.
G
Guest
There is a possibility that you could sell blood to the places that collect it for commercial purposes such as research.
Trying to keep track of blood to go to a specific person is a huge logistical problem for most blood banks. They are not set up to try to get a certain container to a certain hospital on a given day. Not that they couldn't be, but they aren't. Then when it gets to the hospital the problem of getting it to the OR when the person is there starts all over again. Attempting to get it to someone who is anticoagulated and nobody else would probably grind most blood banks to a near halt. I know, Fed Ex could do it, but hospitals???
Trying to keep track of blood to go to a specific person is a huge logistical problem for most blood banks. They are not set up to try to get a certain container to a certain hospital on a given day. Not that they couldn't be, but they aren't. Then when it gets to the hospital the problem of getting it to the OR when the person is there starts all over again. Attempting to get it to someone who is anticoagulated and nobody else would probably grind most blood banks to a near halt. I know, Fed Ex could do it, but hospitals???
Cdn/US blood banking
Cdn/US blood banking
Here in Canada there is no charge for blood, you can bank your own for your own use, we are unable to secure blood donated for a specific recipient--against the law. My son, same blood type is unable to donate for me.
I don't know how hospitals manage but they do somehow.
There are are 3 levels if identifying a unit of blood via tear off cards each one signed at the point of donation: 1. goes with the blood to wherever they store it. 2. is given to the donour/patient for autologous and is presented to the hospital for retrievel of the blood prior to surgery 3. is kept by Canadian Blood Services.
Each of the three cards is carefully scanned for patient/recipient accuracy. by three different persons. Each of the cards is signed by the donour/recipient in front of blood technicians. I don't know how blood is handled for a general blood bank donation.
So it's a pretty good system and they tell me the blood supply is safe.
Cdn/US blood banking
Here in Canada there is no charge for blood, you can bank your own for your own use, we are unable to secure blood donated for a specific recipient--against the law. My son, same blood type is unable to donate for me.
I don't know how hospitals manage but they do somehow.
There are are 3 levels if identifying a unit of blood via tear off cards each one signed at the point of donation: 1. goes with the blood to wherever they store it. 2. is given to the donour/patient for autologous and is presented to the hospital for retrievel of the blood prior to surgery 3. is kept by Canadian Blood Services.
Each of the three cards is carefully scanned for patient/recipient accuracy. by three different persons. Each of the cards is signed by the donour/recipient in front of blood technicians. I don't know how blood is handled for a general blood bank donation.
So it's a pretty good system and they tell me the blood supply is safe.
MarkU
Well-known member
Reviving an old thread:
Prior to my AVR seven years ago I was a regular blood donor, but was told afterwards that patients on Coumadin could not donate blood.
The recent 80 car crash on I-4 here in FL and the resulting urgent appeal for blood donors prompted me to check once more.
The web site for our local blood bank doesn't mention anything about Coumadin or any other anti-coagulants, only coagulation enhancers being disqualifiers.
I ended up contacting the blood bank and talked with their quality control manager. It turns out that they don't have any concerns about receiving anti-coagulated blood, only about the possible detrimental effects to the blood donor.
They had a release form for my cardiologist to sign saying that I am healthy enough to donate. My cardio has told me for years that he didn't see any problem with me donating blood, so he signed the release without any hesitation.
Going down next week to donate.
Mark
Prior to my AVR seven years ago I was a regular blood donor, but was told afterwards that patients on Coumadin could not donate blood.
The recent 80 car crash on I-4 here in FL and the resulting urgent appeal for blood donors prompted me to check once more.
The web site for our local blood bank doesn't mention anything about Coumadin or any other anti-coagulants, only coagulation enhancers being disqualifiers.
I ended up contacting the blood bank and talked with their quality control manager. It turns out that they don't have any concerns about receiving anti-coagulated blood, only about the possible detrimental effects to the blood donor.
They had a release form for my cardiologist to sign saying that I am healthy enough to donate. My cardio has told me for years that he didn't see any problem with me donating blood, so he signed the release without any hesitation.
Going down next week to donate.
Mark
G
Guest
I'm very pleased to learn this. I haven't seen any research on this. Possibly people are just learning that warfarin is not the horrible villan that it has been thought - when properly managed. This is similar to what is being found in the dental field.
JimL
Well-known member
Thanks, Mark and Al, for posting this. I'll ask again in my area. I've been volunteering to help with blood drives, since they wouldn't let me donate any more. It sounds like you got the release form from the Red Cross people?
Ross said:
Same here.
I donated several times a year, not any more.
Ross said:
The Red Cross in my city said "NO" to me too
L
Lisa in Katy
I've never been able to donate because for whatever reason, having had rheumatic fever definitely rules you out. I tried 4-5 times in my life (thinking someone might be wrong or they changed the rule) and was always told no, although no one could ever explain the thinking. I guess it was supposedly for my own good, left over from the days that they thought anyone who had RF should be treated as an invalid.
This post makes me wonder though, we know that warfarin only sticks around about 3-5 days in our own blood, but that is because it is being processed by the liver. What happens to warfarin in blood that is not being circulated? It seems like it would still break down. Donated blood is tested, processed, etc., and is hardly ever given within 3-5 days.
This post makes me wonder though, we know that warfarin only sticks around about 3-5 days in our own blood, but that is because it is being processed by the liver. What happens to warfarin in blood that is not being circulated? It seems like it would still break down. Donated blood is tested, processed, etc., and is hardly ever given within 3-5 days.
Magic8Ball
Well-known member
its a fruitless discussion for me as even if they decided to allow wafarin blood in i also lived in the UK during the mad cow era so they ban me from this also.
Moooo
Moooo
aussigal
Well-known member
what about organ donation?
what about organ donation?
This gets me thinking and questioning as to whether we are allowed to be organ donors????.....anybody have any knowledge to share about that? I have it on my drivers licence but that's from years ago before my OHS and warfarin.
what about organ donation?
This gets me thinking and questioning as to whether we are allowed to be organ donors????.....anybody have any knowledge to share about that? I have it on my drivers licence but that's from years ago before my OHS and warfarin.
MikeHeim
Well-known member
I can confirm that the Red Cross still specifically disqualifies people on Warfarin from donating blood.
MarkU
Well-known member
MikeHeim said:
That's still true, but again, my understanding is that it's primarily because of the fear of bleeding issues or complications on the part of the donor rather than anything to do with the blood itself.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, our local community blood bank requires written permission by the donor's physician to certify that they are healthy enough to donate. I'm fortunate that my INR is consistently in range and I've never been prone to excessive bleeding or bruising.
Mark
