title: Bruising following blood donation, its management and the response and subsequent return rates of affected donors.
abstract: A study was undertaken to determine the incidence of bruising among blood donors and to analyse their response to the management of this complication. A total of 52 510 donors were bled at 476 consecutive donor sessions held by the Brentwood Centre during a 4-month period. Of these, 344 donors (0.66%) were found to have developed bruises following venepuncture. The incidence of bruising among males was 0. 35% and that among females was 0.98%. All bruised donors were managed by the Centre nursing and medical staff. One hundred and sixty-one donors informed the Centre that they were fully satisfied with the way their bruising was managed. Of 329 bruised donors who remained in the panel, 249 (75.7%) attended subsequent blood donor sessions in response to routine invitations, showing that the majority of bruised donors continued to donate blood. This response was compared with that of a control group of donors who did not develop any complications and there was no significant difference in the return rates between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: National Blood Service, Brentwood Centre, Essex, UK. edmund.ranasinghe@nbs.nhs.uk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ranasinghe
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004438:Ecchymosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*