Cardiovascular Disease

Must not donate if has or has had:
a) An aneurysm.

b) Cardiomyopathy.

c) Ischaemic heart disease or angina regardless of cause including INOCA (myocardial ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries).

d) Heart failure.

e) Myocarditis and it is less than 12 months from recovery.

f) Peripheral vascular disease (including intermittent claudication and gangrene).

g) Has required surgery for a blocked or narrowed artery including any type of amputation.

h) Valvular heart disease.

i) Heart Block or Bundle Branch Block.

a) If a berry aneurysm has been treated by interventional radiology or surgery (without the use of dural grafting, or after 1992 in the UK) and the person has not had a stroke or suffered neurological deficit, accept.

b) If an incidental heart murmur has been heard or a valve abnormality has been found at echo, which is asymptomatic and does not require follow up, accept

c) If asymptomatic and there is no treatment planned for Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), accept

d) If a congenital heart defect has been treated medically or surgically, cure has been achieved (or the defect has spontaneously resolved) and donation is not excluded because of a transfusion history, accept

e) If the donor has been diagnosed with Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB), and the donor has been clinically assessed and found to have no evidence of cardiac or pulmonary disease, accept.

f) If the donor has been diagnosed with First Degree Heart Block, and the donor has been clinically assessed and found to have no evidence of cardiac disease, accept for whole blood donation.

g) If the donor has been found to have coronary atheroma as an incidental finding during routine investigations and:

• the donor is not on secondary preventative treatment with antiplatelet agents (e.g. aspirin) and/or cholesterol lowering medication, and
• there is no history of chest pain or other cardiac symptoms,

accept.

Arrhythmias
Blood Pressure - High
Central Nervous System Disease
Cardiac Surgery
Endocarditis
Shunts, Stents and Devices
Superficial Thrombophlebitis
Thrombosis and Thrombophilia

A history of 'Cardiovascular Disease' means that removing blood from their circulation may put the donor at risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other vascular incident. Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is a normal variant found in up to 40% of the population at post mortem. If it is asymptomatic and no treatment or surgery is planned for this atrial septal defect, donors can be accepted. Incidental heart murmurs and valve abnormalities are increasingly being found due to the sensitivity of new testing regimes they are of no clinical significance if asymptomatic and they do not require follow up, donors may be accepted.

RBBB and first degree heart block can be diagnosed in individuals in the absence of heart disease. Provided the donor has been clinically assessed and there is no evidence of cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, the donor can be accepted. If there is any uncertainty about the diagnosis or the results of investigations, refer to a DCSO.

Discretionary acceptance criteria for the incident finding of coronary atheroma, RBB and first degree heart block have been added. A clarification for INOCA has been added. The See if Relevant section has been updated.

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Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers.