“It is in you to give!’
Since 2022, I decided to donate to the Canadian Blood Service. At first I donated whole blood. Since August 6, 2022, I made 22 whole blood donations. Then, I switched to plasma donations and with 5 of these donations completed and with a goal of 40 total donations by the end of 2026 and 100 total donations by the end of 2028, I was recently cautioned to be careful of negative outcomes, such as scaring at the injection site. So, I decided to do some research to better understand the risks for someone my age – just 69 years young.
Why do it at all? I believe firmly in being a part of the community in which I live. I have volunteered all of my life in education, in industry associations, on public boards, and now as a blood donor.
I was just accepted after testing, to donate platelets in addition to whole blood and plasma. With whole blood, I can donate every two months, with plasma it can be as often as every week, and with platelets it can be every two weeks.
Is weekly plasma donation safe?
Canadian Blood Services permits eligible donors to give plasma as often as every seven days because the red blood cells are normally returned and plasma volume is replenished relatively quickly. However, the maximum permitted frequency is not necessarily the ideal personal schedule for every donor. Your overall health, medications, vein condition and recovery between appointments matter. (Canadian Blood Services)
At age 69, age alone is not the principal concern if Canadian Blood Services continues to find you eligible. More important questions are whether you recover fully, whether your blood pressure remains stable, whether you bruise easily and whether your laboratory values remain satisfactory.
Is scarring a serious worry?
Repeated needle insertion can produce a small amount of scar tissue in the skin and vein, particularly when the same location is used repeatedly. The site may become slightly firm, and eventually the vein may become more difficult to access. This is generally a practical or cosmetic problem rather than a serious medical danger.
More significant needle-related complications, such as a large hematoma, infection, nerve injury, arterial puncture or persistent vein inflammation, are uncommon. Canadian Blood Services reports that serious or lasting donation complications occur in fewer than one in 10,000 donations. (Canadian Blood Services)
I was coached to ask the staff at CBS whether alternating arms or slightly varying the insertion location is appropriate. I was advised to tell them if an area feels hard, unusually tender or increasingly difficult to access. Do not continue through sharp, burning or electrical pain during needle insertion. Donation should not hurt beyond the initial needle pinch.
The more important concerns with frequent donation
Loss of plasma proteins and antibodies: Plasma contains albumin, total protein and immunoglobulins, including IgG antibodies. IgG (Immunoglobulin G) is the most common type of antibody protein found in blood and body fluids, making up about 75% of all human serum antibodies. It plays a key role in the secondary immune response by binding to germs like bacteria and viruses to neutralize or destroy them. (National Institutes of Health – NIH.gov)
Recent research found that frequent donation can lower total protein and IgG, with larger decreases at higher donation frequencies. The long-term clinical significance remains uncertain, but the evidence supports monitoring frequent donors rather than assuming that everyone will tolerate the maximum schedule indefinitely. (PubMed Central)
Iron depletion: Plasma donation removes much less iron than whole-blood donation because your red cells are returned. Nevertheless, small amounts of blood are lost in testing, tubing and occasionally incomplete red-cell returns. Canadian Blood Services acknowledges that frequent plasma donors can gradually develop low iron stores even while the routine hemoglobin finger test remains normal. (Canadian Blood Services)
Citrate reactions: Citrate prevents blood from clotting in the machine and temporarily binds calcium. Tingling around the mouth, chills, trembling, muscle tightness, chest discomfort or an unusual metallic sensation should be reported immediately. Staff can usually relieve the reaction by slowing the procedure or providing calcium. (Canadian Blood Services)
Dehydration, fatigue and low blood pressure: Dizziness, nausea, weakness and fainting can occur, particularly if you arrive dehydrated, have not eaten or stand up too quickly. Bruising and bleeding may be more noticeable if you take aspirin, anticoagulants or certain anti-inflammatory medications. Canadian Blood Services recommends drinking at least 500 mL immediately before donating, eating beforehand, avoiding strenuous activity for six to eight hours and avoiding heavy lifting for 24 hours. (Canadian Blood Services)
A sensible monitoring plan
For someone contemplating weekly donations over many months, I would discuss periodic testing with your family physician. Reasonable tests include a complete blood count, ferritin, total serum protein, albumin and possibly IgG. Canadian Blood Services checks hemoglobin at every donation and may check protein levels for some plasma donations, but the hemoglobin finger test does not reliably identify depleted iron reserves. (Canadian Blood Services)
Do not start iron or calcium supplements routinely unless your physician or the donation team recommends them. Excess supplementation can create different problems, and the correct decision depends on your laboratory results, diet, medications and medical history.
Weekly donation deserves reconsideration if you notice persistent fatigue, reduced exercise capacity, repeated infections, slow recovery, frequent bruising, increasingly difficult vein access or consistently low protein, ferritin or hemoglobin results. Donating every two, three or four weeks remains valuable and may be a more sustainable personal schedule.
Seek medical attention for worsening redness, warmth, swelling, drainage or fever at the needle site, persistent numbness or weakness, severe arm pain, significant hand swelling or colour change, breathing difficulty, chest pain or fainting that does not quickly resolve. Canadian Blood Services also asks donors to report concerning reactions through 1-888-2-DONATE.
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees – in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven major certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 80 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) [aka Micro Learning] continuous education programs in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Power BI, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.
Martin in a volunteer, a photographer, a learner, a technologist, a philosophizer, and a romantic optimist.