Interventions to reduce the vasovagal reaction rate in young whole blood donors.

BACKGROUND: There have been multiple reports concerning the predictors of fainting reactions in blood donors, but few attempts to reduce the rates of fainting reactions with concomitant rigorous attempts to monitor the success of the interventions., STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a retrospective observational cohort study design, comparing the likelihood of reaction from 213,031 allogeneic whole blood donations made by 17- to 22-year-old donors in two separate 12-month periods before and after the implementation of interventions to reduce reactions. The interventions were 1) a limit on the maximum percentage of estimated blood volume young donors could donate, 2) encouraging applied muscle tension during donation, and 3) providing approximately 500 mL of water before donation. Reactions were defined by severity and time in relation to the end of phlebotomy and documented according to standard procedures. Data analysis included comparison of stratified reaction rates and multivariable logistic regression analysis., RESULTS: The interventions decreased the aggregate reaction rates in male and female donors by 24% (p