Evaluation of the confidential unit exclusion on Iranian blood donors: An 11-year experience

• Published in: Asian journal of transfusion science Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 57 - 61
• Main Authors: Ameli, Mohammad, Hosseini, Seyed, Rad, Fariba, Sajjadi, Seyed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ahmedabad Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.01.2021; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer - Medknow; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Blood & organ donations; Blood donors; blood safety; Blood transfusion; Blood transfusions; confidential unit exclusion; Confidentiality; Disease transmission; donor risk factors; Health aspects; Infection; Original; Patient safety; Iran; Brazil; Blood safety; confidential unit exclusion; donor risk factors
• ISSN: 0973-6247; 1998-3565
• DOI: 10.4103/ajts.AJTS_152_18

Background: Confidential unit exclusion (CUE) was recommended by the Food and Drug Administration to permit blood donors confidentially exclude their donation for transfusion. However, its effectiveness as a safety measure to the blood supply is debated. Aims: We, therefore, evaluated its benefit in identifying donors at risk of transmitting transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) and increasing blood safety in our population. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study. The study was performed at the South Khorasan Blood Transfusion Center. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and retrospective study, data of CUE use and data of confirmed positive TTI markers were analyzed for the study period 2006-2016. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Results: Out of 165,267 donations, the CUE option was selected by 493 (0.3%) donors, most frequently by first-time blood donors, by men, by donors with <12 years schooling, and by 18-24-year-old donors. The data revealed that donations from CUE donors had no higher infection rates. Moreover, CUE showed low sensitivity (0.6%) and low positive predictive value (0.6%) in detecting TTI markers. Conclusion: The data do not provide any indication of a safety advantage from CUE; thus, we recommend that the procedure of CUE can be discontinued.