The relative safety of automated two-unit red blood cell procedures and manual whole-blood collection in young donors

BACKGROUND: Automated red blood cell (RBC) apheresis offers the advantage of collecting 2 units of RBCs (2RBC) from one donation, but may expose donors to procedure-related risks. This study evaluated the relative safety of 2RBC compared to whole-blood (WB) donation with a focus on young donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Adverse reactions recorded at the collection site or requiring outside medical care were compared after 4,348,686 WB and 206,570 2RBC donations in 26 regional blood centers. RESULTS: 2RBC donors were more likely than WB donors to be male (91.6% vs. 50.3%) and repeat donors (84.0% vs. 81.0%). The overall complication rate was higher for 2RBC than WB collections (627.9 vs. 435.1 per 10,000; odds ratio [OR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-1.47), but more than 96% of all reactions were minor in severity. For donors younger than 20 years, adverse events were equally or less common after 2RBC than after WB donation, but were more common after 2RBC for donors 20 years or older. The rate of major systemic complications was significantly lower for 2RBC than WB donations in all age groups (10.2 vs. 14.3 per 10,000 collections; OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62-0.82). Overall, the need for outside medical care was similar for 2RBC and WB collections (3.4 vs. 4.2 per 10,000 donations, respectively), but significantly less likely after 2RBC donation for donors less than 20 years old (3.8 vs. 7.0. per 10,000 donations; OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32-0.89). CONCLUSION: 2RBC collection procedures, as currently performed in the American Red Cross, are associated with fewer immediate adverse reactions in young donors and have a comparable safety profile in older donors. These data support the collection of 2RBC from young donors.