| Definitions | EBV – Estimated Blood Volume. This is calculated using the Nadler formula (Ref: Chapter 3.7 Guidelines for the Blood Transfusion Services in the UK).
ECV – Extra Corporeal Volume. This is the total volume outside the donor’s circulation at any time during a donation procedure. It includes all blood, plasma and components in the collection packs, the machine harness and testing samples.
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| Obligatory | 1. Must not donate if:
a) Under 65 kg (10 stone 3 pounds)
b) The donor weight means that they have difficulty in getting onto or off the donation couch.
c) Venous access is very difficult.
d) The safe weight limit of the bleeding couch/chair is exceeded.
e) They are a double red cell donor and weigh under 70 kg (11 stone).
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| Discretionary | a) If male and over 50kg of weight (7 stone 12 pounds), accept.
b) If female, 20 years of age or older and over 50kg of weight (7 stone 12 pounds), accept.
c) If female, less than 20 years of age with an EBV of 3500ml or greater (as per Appendix 1), accept.
d) Treatment with anti-obesity drugs, accept. This can include treatment with injectable drugs such as liraglutide (Saxenda®), provided they have been prescribed by a health care professional. |
| Component Donation | During any planned component donation procedure, the donor’s ECV must not exceed 16% of their EBV at any point in the procedure.
Careful consideration should be taken when calculating the EBV for transgender donors to ensure the most appropriate chart is selected.
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| See if Relevant | Appendix 1 - Estimated Blood Volume for Female donors (after Nadler) by height and weight
Appendix 3 – Maximum permitted ECV for component donation
Sleep Apnoea |
| Additional Information | Limits on donation volume are in place to protect the donor from adverse effects such as fainting.
There is a minimum legal donor weight of 50kg at which a donation can be accepted. In young women there is a significant risk of fainting if their donation exceeds 15% of their EBV thus a minimum EBV of 3500ml is needed.
For individuals with a body mass index greater than 40, there is a risk that the formula used to calculate blood volume may result in an overestimation of EBV.
The 50kg lower weight limit is not appropriate for double red cell donations because of the increased volume and iron that is being taken from the donor.
Obesity is associated with several medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, gallstones, and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Drugs used for obesity treatment include oral or injectable medications. Donors who have been prescribed these can be accepted provided they otherwise meet the donor selection criteria.
Liraglutide for the treatment of obesity is usually marketed as Saxenda®. It is provided as a pre-filled pen device with single-use needles. Donors who have been prescribed liraglutide for obesity can be accepted if they are using the equipment provided as per the manufacturer’s instructions and are not sharing pens or needles with others.
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| Information | Part of this entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005. Other parts are related to research in to the reasons why donors faint. |
| Reason for change | Guidance and information have been added for weight loss drugs, including injectable liraglutide. |
| Donor Information | If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line.
Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers. |