Date published: February 7, 2024
Canadian Blood Services’ Directed Donations Program had historically allowed a parent or legal guardian to donate blood for transfusion to their minor child. No directed donations have been collected since 2019 to date in Canada. Directed donations carry heightened risks to both recipients and donors compared to allogeneic blood donation and are not recommended by current guidelines1,2
Canadian Blood Services has permanently discontinued its Directed Donations Program. This decision follows consultations, started in May 2022, with Canadian physicians who manage directed donation requests and other blood operators, in conjunction with analyses of the program's declining demand and clinical effectiveness.
Directed donations may present several risks to recipients:
Recipients of a directed donation may face future difficulties in finding family members who are compatible as stem cell or organ donors if needed. Stem cell donation is a lifesaving therapeutic option for life threatening blood cancers, and it is more challenging to find optimal suitable stem cell donors.
In a published review of directed donation practices at Canadian Blood Services from 2015-2019, 18% of all directed donation donors had a hemoglobin value lower than allogenic donor hemoglobin criteria.5
Directed donors may also experience undue and unwanted pressure to donate, leading donors to conceal risks or other conditions that may affect their donation eligibility. This may in turn adversely impact donor wellness, as well as the safety and quality of the product.
Patients with complex and rare blood needs can find a matching donor through Canadian Blood Services’ Rare Blood Program (for red cells) and HLA Apheresis Platelet Program (for platelets). When an individual is identified with a rare blood need, the individual and their family members may be recruited for further testing and to become allogeneic donors. This allows recruitment of suitable donors whenever patient need arises. Unlike the Directed Donations Program, blood donated to the Rare Blood Program and HLA Apheresis Platelet Program are available to all Canadians in need. Red cell units that have not been used may also be frozen for future recipients, including the donors themselves. Discontinuation of the Directed Donation Program does not impact Canadian Blood Services' ability to meet rare blood needs, and will allow the provision of safe, effective, and accessible blood products to all Canadians.