Medic Regional Blood Center, Knoxville, Tennessee, blood, donor, drive, donation,

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1601 Ailor Ave. | Knoxville, TN 37921-6702 | phone: 865.524.3074 | fax: 865.521.2642

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Donor Collection Hours:

Mon-Fri., 8 am to 6:30 pm

Sat., 8 am to 11:30 am

Sun., 1 pm to 4:30 pm

Office hours:

Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm

Closed most major holidays

Open Memorial Day

QUESTIONS?

Click Here to read information on what to expect and things you should know before you prepare to donate.

This is information to make you familiar ahead of time with reasons that might make you deferred. to avoid unnecessary waiting prior to your screening interview ASK A MEDIC NURSE.

Who can donate?
Anyone who is in good health, 17 years of age or older and weights at least 110 lbs.

16 years olds weighing 120 pounds can donate but MUST have parental consent. Consent forms can be found on the home page of this website.

Why should I donate?
An adequate and readily available supply of blood saves lives. When someone is injured in a car accident, shot or is a burn victim, then need blood immediately. On any given day, health care agencies in our community can use as many as 2000 blood components.

What types of donations are there?
Whole blood is the most common type. You can donate whole blood every 8 weeks. It may be split into at least 2 components that will benefit many different patients. However, the shelf life of these components is limited.

- Red Blood Cells: restore blood loss (good for 42 days), used for surgery and trauma patients.
- Plasma: restores clotting factors (good for one year)
- Platelets: aid in bleeding problems associated with cancer patients receiving chemotherapy (good for 5 days)

Apheresis is a donation that uses a machine. This type of donation allows the donor to give a larger quantity of one essential component (RBCs, platelets, or plasma) of whole blood. The remaining components are returned to the donor. If you want to become an apheresis donor, the recommended type of donation based on blood type is listed below:

- Blood types "A" and "O" are needed for Platelets and can be donated 24 times per year.
- Blood type "AB" is needed for plasma and can be donated 12 times per year.
- Blood types "O" and "A" are needed for RBCs and can be donated every 112 days by Aperesis donation.

Circulation and Heart Related Disorders
High Blood Pressure (Controlled) No Deferral.
Certain Heart Conditions/Surgery/Angioplasty may need a physician approval letter to donate.
Mitral Valve Prolapse - no medications or pain - No Deferral.
Mitral Valve Prolapse - medications taken - Must have physician approval letter to donate.

Dentistry
All dental procedures including cleanings - 24 hours Deferral
Oral Surgery, Root Canal, Wisdom Tooth Extraction - 72 Hours.

Medications
Antibiotics - 24 hour Deferral
Antibiotics for Acne - No Deferral
Antidepressants - No Deferral
Analgesics - No Deferral
Antacids - No Deferral
Anti-Asthmatics - No deferral (Deferral if on Steroids)
Anti-Convulsants - No Deferral (No more than 1 seizure in past year & none in last 3 months)
Anti-Fungal for Skin, Nails, Vagina - No Deferral
Anti-Histamine (No s/s of infection) - No Deferral
Anti-Hypertensive - No Deferral
Blood Thinners - Must be off 2 weeks prior to donation
Decongestants - (No s/s of infection) - No deferral
Diet Pill - No Deferral
Diuretic - No Deferral unless taking it for Congestive Hearth Failure then indefinite Deferral.
Growth Hormone before 1985 - Indefinite Deferral
Steroids (oral, IM, IV) - 72 Hour Deferral
Tranquilizer - No Deferral
Vitamins - No Deferral

Common Ailments
Acid Reflux - No Deferral
Acne using topical ointments and oral antibiotics - No Deferral
Acne - taking Accutane - 20 Day Deferral
Allergies - Mild Symptoms - No Deferral (Injections - 6 hours)
Arthritis (Osteo) - No Deferral
Arthritis - (Rheumatoid) No Deferral - If asymptomatic: if on meds check with Nurse
Cancer - Skin (Basal Cell or Squamous Cell) - Completely excises and healed - No Deferral
Cancer - Melanoma - 20 year Deferral
Cancer - Deep Tissue - 5 year Deferral
Cancer - Breast - 10 year Deferral
Cancer - Leukemia or Lymphoma - indefinite Deferral
Cold/Flu - 1 day of Deferral
Crohn's Disease - Asymptomatic and not on steroids - No Deferral
Diabetes - Controlled by diet, oral medications or exercise - No Deferral
Diabetes - Insulin or injectable medications MUST have physician approval
Eczema - No infected lesions - No Deferral
Mononucleosis - 1 month Deferral
Needlestick (not sterile) - 1 year Deferral
Psoriasis - No Deferral;
Poison Ivy - (No lesions in venipuncture area) - No Deferral
Ringworm - (Not in venipuncture area) - No Deferral
Stroke - 1 year Deferral - Must have physician approval letter to donate if within past 5 years
Thyroid - Hyper/Hypo - Meds controlled - No Deferral
Ulcerative Colitis - Asymptomatic and not on Steroids - No Deferral

STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)
Herpes - No active lesions - No Deferral
Papilloma Virus - No active lesions - No Deferral

Hepatitis Contact
Hospital Personnel (using universal precautions and no mucous membrane exposure) - No Deferral
Household/Sexual - with patient undergoing treatment or symptomatic - 1 year Deferral

Issues That Concern Men
PSA elevated - Benign Prostate Hyperplasia - No Deferral
Propecia for Baldness - 1 year Deferral

Issues That Concern Women
Pregnancy, Abortion, Miscarriage - 6 week Deferral
Menopause, Hormone Replacement - No Deferral
Birth Control Pills - No Deferral
Routine Mammogram - No Deferral
RhoGAM - 6 week Deferral
Yeast Infection (Vaginal) - No Deferral

Shots and Vaccinations
Hepatavax (Hepatitis B) - 1 week Deferral
Tetanus Booster - No Deferral
Flu Shot - No Deferral
TB Test - Routine - No Deferral
Polio - No Deferral
Rabies (animal bite) - 1 year Deferral
Gamma Globulin - HBIG - Serum Immune Globulin - 1 year Deferral
Steroid Injection - Joint - No Deferral
Steroid Injection - Intramuscular - 3 day Deferral
Zostavax - 4 weeks Deferral
Anti-HPV - 2 Weeks Deferral

Tattoos, Acupuncture, Body Piercing
Tattoo - No deferral if performed in TN/KY using sterile technique at a licensed establishment; otherwise 1 year Deferral
Ear Piercing - Sterile Gun - No Deferral
Ear Piercing - Self/unsterile technique - 1 year Deferral
Body Piercing - Oral - Deferral until 1 year after removal of appliance and site is healed
Body Piercing - Other (performed by qualified personnel using aseptic technique) - No Deferral
Body Piercing - Genital - 1 year Deferral
Acupuncture - Aseptic, performed by a licensed acupuncturists or under direct M.D. supervision - No Deferral

Travel Outside The US and Canada
Indefinite Deferral:
United Kingdom - spent 3 months cumulatively from 1980 - 1996; or Europe - spent 5 years or more since 1980; or Associated with U.S. Military in certain parts of Europe for 6 months or more between 1980 - 1996
Certain African countries since 1977 - indefinite Deferral if 3 months stay or longer
Malarial endemic areas - 1 to 3 year Deferral

Surgery and Grafts
Major surgery performed in Hospital/Surgery Clinic with Blood Transfusion - 1 year Deferral
Minor Surgery - No blood used - Release from physician - No Deferral
Grafts - Autologous - No Deferral
Grafts - Allogeneic (from someone else) - 1 year Deferral

Permanently Ineligible

Ineligible for Specific Time

Blood Diseses: Polycythemia, leukemia, etc.

Chronic diseases of lungs, kidneys, liver

Present or past IV use of non-prescription drugs

History of Hepatitis after your 11th birthday

High risk group for AIDS virus

HIV positive

Family history of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Have spent 3 months or more cumulatively, in the United Kingdom from 1980 thru 1996.

Have spent 5 years or more, cumulatively, in Europe from 1980 to present.

Have received a transfusion of blood or blood components in the UK between 1980 and present.

If you were associated with US Military bases in Northern Europe for 6 months of more from 1980 thru 1990.

If you were associated with a US military base elsewhere in Europe for 6 months or more from 1980 thru 1996.

Since 1980, been injected with a non- US licensed drug product made from cattle, such as bovine insulin.

Received smallpox vaccination or been in close contact with vaccination site of someone else. Deferral period typically ranges from 3 weeks to 8 weeks.

Antibiotic: individual evaluation

Allergy Injection, 6 hours before donations

Tuberculosis ( 48 hours past treatment with negative chest x-ray)

Syphilis (positive blood test)

History of malaria, 3 years

Travel to malaria zone, 12 months

Hepatitis, household contact, 12 months

Blood transfusion, tissue, bone, skin grafts, 12 months

Term Pregnancy, 6 weeks

Cancer, most types, 5 years (no recurrence)

Breast cancer, 10 years

Tattoo, if done outside of Tennessee/Kentucky and/or not performed by a licensed professional, and/or non-sterile technique was used, 12 months.

Permanent make-up, if done outside Tennessee and/or not performed by a licensed professional and/or non-sterile technique was used.

Body Branding, 12 months

Jail or prison for more that 72 consecutive hours, 12 months

For specific questions about donor eligibility, please do not e-mail this website. Call a Medic nurse at 865/524-3074 or toll-free 866/308-8227, Mon.Fri, 8 am to 5 pm.

Possible Eligibility After Evaluation
	Major surgery within 6 months Illness, serious injury, minor injury Ulcers (time depends on diagnosis) Heart Disease, Asthma Immunizations, inoculations, vaccination Recent weight loss Fever blisters, cold sores if evident Blood pressure, high or low Blood pressure medication Diabetes requiring medication (need written doctor's approval) Cardiac pacemaker.

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