Background and objective: Plateletpheresis involves the separation of platelets from healthy donor blood, with the remaining components returned to the donor’s circulation. With the increasing demand for aphaeretic platelets, the transfusion medicine department plays a crucial role in ensuring the availability of safe blood products when required. This study aimed to determine the frequency and underlying reasons for donor deferral during plateletpheresis.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Transfusion Medicine Department of BIRDEM General Hospital in Dhaka from January 2021 to December 2022. Apheresis donors of either sex who attended the department were selected and evaluated for deferral by physicians in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlined in the hospital protocol [1]. Data on deferred plateletpheresis donors were recorded manually in a register book and analyzed retrospectively.

Results: A total of 318 plateletpheresis donors were screened during this study period, of whom 43 (13.52%) were deferred for various reasons. The majority of the deferrals (93.9%) were temporary. The major causes of donor deferral were poor venous access (27.7%, mostly in females), low platelet count (16.2%), and the use of medications, most commonly analgesics, at 11.4%.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that venous access plays a vital role in donor deferral. Additionally, low platelet count and use of antiplatelet drug can significantly impact the apheretic donor eligibility. Revising the selection criteria for plateletpheresis donors could substantially enhance donor participation and reduce deferral rates. Furthermore, continued efforts to provide advanced training for technical personnel and ensure effective supervision by Transfusion Medicine Specialists will contribute to minimizing donor deferrals.

July 2025; Vol. 19(2):003.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.19.012

*Correspondence: Farida Parvin, Department of Transfusion Medicine & Clinical Haematology, BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: dr.farida1984@gmail.com.

© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC BY 4.0).