Surgery - Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell

Essential information

Definition/s

Major surgery for the purposes of donor selection:

Any surgical procedure where recovery is not achieved within 2 months.

Recovery from surgery:

Donors can be considered to be recovered if they:

  • Are well,
  • Are back to activities of daily living (e.g. housework, employment, driving),
  • Have regained mobility.
Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. For malignancy or other condition that would preclude donation.
  2. All wounds are not healed.
  3. There are signs or symptoms of any infection.
  4. Not fully recovered.
  5. Less than 4 months after major surgery.
  6. Less than 7 days after other surgery.
  7. Requiring post-operative treatment or follow-up that might indicate further intervention is required, excluding routine follow-up or physiotherapy.
  8. If waiting for surgery that is:
    1. Expected to occur within 3 months, or
    2. Required due to possible malignancy or other condition that would preclude donation.
  9. Less than 7 days after completing postoperative prophylactic anticoagulant treatment.
Discretionary
  1. If less than 4 months from the major surgical procedure, discuss with the Designated Clinical Support Officer who will decide if the donor may be accepted on a balance of risks following discussion with the Transplant Centre.
  2. If the donor is waiting for surgery that is not required for possible malignancy, and:
    1. The procedure is not expected to take place within 3 months, or
    2. The procedure is minimally invasive, and it is not expected to take place within 1 month, accept.
  3. If it is less than 3 months since any surgical procedure performed outside of the UK and ROI, and all other criteria for surgery performed within the UK and ROI are met, discuss with the Designated Clinical Support Officer. See Additional information below.

Supporting information

See if relevant
Additional information

Surgery may cause significant blood loss. It is important that donors waiting for an operation should not be put at risk of anaemia or poor iron stores by donating prior to planned surgery. Unless the type of surgery planned is unlikely to result in significant blood loss, the donor should be deferred until after their planned surgery. This will minimise their own chance of needing a transfusion, which would of course prevent them from continuing as a donor. It is also important not to hinder the recovery of the donor. This requires waiting until they are fully recovered before they donate again.

Surgery may place the donor at risk of infection, either from unhealed wounds or due to infection risks from infected staff or equipment. Although these risks are very small, it is important to wait long enough for the risks to have gone or until the tests performed by the UK Blood and Tissues Services can pick up any infection that they test for that may have been transmitted to the donor by surgery.

The entry has been revised to include a definition of recovery and amendment of the definition of major surgery. The deferral after major surgery has been shortened.

Specific guidance for donors awaiting surgery and postoperative thromboprophylaxis has been added.

As there may be uncertainty about additional risks for surgery performed outside of the UK and ROI, which may vary between countries, referral to Designated Clinical Support Officer for individual risk assessment is advised.

Reason for change:
Definition of major surgery changed. ‘Obligatory’, ‘Discretionary’ and ‘Additional Information’ sections updated. ‘See if Relevant’ links added.
Version details:

BM-DSG Edition 203 Release 51 (04 July 2023)