Donor Iron Deficiency Study (DIDS): protocol of a study to test whether iron deficiency in blood donors affects red blood cell recovery after transfusion

Blood Transfusion = Trasfusione Del Sangue
Zachary C BitanEldad A Hod

Abstract

Despite fulfilling all requirements for blood donation, a large proportion of regular blood donors are iron deficient. Red blood cells (RBC) from iron-deficient donors may be particularly susceptible to damage induced by standard refrigerated storage. Herein, we present a study protocol for testing whether correcting iron deficiency in donors with iron-deficient erythropoiesis will improve the quality of their refrigerator-stored RBC. This is a randomised, controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Sixty healthy regular donors who meet donation standards, while exhibiting iron-deficient erythropoiesis by laboratory testing criteria, will donate a single standard RBC unit that will be leucoreduced and stored in a refrigerator under standard conditions for 40-42 days. A 51Cr-radiolabelled 24-hour RBC recovery study will be performed and then these donors will be randomised to receive, in a double-blinded fashion, either intravenous saline, as a control, or low-molecular weight iron dextran (1 g), to provide total iron repletion. Four to six months later, they will donate a second RBC unit, which will be similarly stored, and autologous 51Cr-labelled 24-hour post-transfusion RBC recovery will again be determined. The primary endpoin...Continue Reading

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