plasma/blood donation no good FDA

Hi All:

I tried today to donate plasma for a friend. I was told I could not donate because of my pacemaker. Specifically, that is was against FDA rules for me to donate plasma. No questions were asked about how long i had it. I then offered to just donate blood (plasma can go to a specific person you request but blood to anyone at hospital) and again was told i could not donate blood either because of pacemaker. This is a 'famous' NYC cancer hospital. Has anyone else encountered this issue?

Thanx-j

4 Comments

I looked it up &

by janetinak - 2009-12-02 03:12:19

& there is a long list of criteria that keep folks from donating. Regarding PM can only be on aspirin according to American Red Cross.

Thanks for an interesting quiestion.

I wasn't allowed either

by golden_snitch - 2009-12-02 03:12:23

Hi!

I once asked to be tested for a friend who had leukemia, but the nurses and the doctor at the hospital told me that I wasn't allowed to donate because of the pacer. I thought this was a bit odd because otherwise I'm a very healthy person. Happened in Hamburg/Germany.

When I got my organ donor ID, I asked the organization from which you can get the IDs if I was allowed to donor organs though I have some heart problems (pacer, arrhythmia that need to be treated with meds, also had open-heart surgery). They said that I could still donate the other organs like the lungs etc. Don't really understand why this is possible, but donating bone marrow isn't.

Best wishes
Inga



Interesting

by ShadowWeaver - 2009-12-02 03:12:34

I went in and read the FDA guidelines at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/BloodVaccinesandOtherBiologics/BloodProductsAdvisoryCommittee/UCM189018.pdf. They don't mention the pacemaker at all, but refer to the fact that a person's heartbeat needs to be regular. That may be why we have trouble with a pacemaker however as the assumption may be that if we have a pacemaker, then our heartbeat will not be regular. Not sure, but seems to at least be a somewhat logical (if flawed) thought process.

Michael

Was it the PM or meds?

by janetinak - 2009-12-02 03:12:53

I have to google this to see if I can find the answer, but could it be the meds you are on rather than the PM? I mentioned to local blood drive at work that I was on Coumadin & was pretty sure I couldn't give 'cause who wants blood with a blood thinner in it. But they couldn't get me out of the room fast enough, like I would start bleeding all over the floor if I stayed. Hah!

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

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