On-site and off-site adverse donor reactions in voluntary whole blood donors: A study from a tertiary care oncology center

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of on-site and off-site adverse donor reactions and its correlation with contributory factors if any. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from October 2016 to November 2016. A total of 1000 voluntary whole blood (WB) donors who consented to participate in the study were contacted telephonically the next day of donation. Donors were asked a structured questionnaire and information was documented. Results: Of the 1000 voluntary WB donors, 948 responded to the phone calls. Of these 948, 79 (8.33%) donors experienced adverse reactions. Of the 79 donors, 33% (26/79) reactions occurred on-site, whereas 67% (53/79) reactions occurred off-site (P < 0.05). Of the total on-site reactions, 92% (24/26) were vasovagal reactions (VVRs) and 8% (2/26) were hematomas (P < 0.001). Of the total off-site reactions, 47% (23/53) were vasovagal and 53% (30/53) were hematomas. Of the 79 donors, 60% (47/79) experienced VVR and 40% (32/79) experienced hematomas. Of the 32 hematoma reactions, 94% (30/32) were noticed off-site, whereas 6% (2/30) occurred on-site (P < 0.001). Majority of hematomas took more than 7 days to resolve. Conclusion: Maximum reactions occurred off-site, and hence donor follow-up after the donor has left the donation site is important. Postdonation follow-up proves to be an efficient tool to acquire information about adverse donor reactions. The next day telephonic follow-up was helpful as donor recall of the off-site reactions was better, which otherwise would have gone unreported.