Blood Bank

Q: How many donors have to come for each patient?

Depending on the patients condition or the medical-surgical procedure to which it will undergo, the need for blood units will depend on the amount that your attending physician considers necessary, a Centro Médico ABC collaborator will contact you to give you the number of units used, or you can call the Blood Bank directly.

Honesty is very important for your safety and for the safety of the patient who will receive your blood.
All your information is protected under the current Personal Data Protection Law.

Blood Bank Service Hours

Observatorio Campus

Monday to Sunday
Blood donation: 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM
Platelet donation: 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM
+52 55 5230 8000 Ext: 8920, 8921, and 8922

Santa Fe Campus

Monday to Sunday
Blood donation: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Platelet donation: 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
+52 55 1103 1600 Ext: 1830, 1821, and 1430

General Requirements for Allogeneic Blood and/or Blood Component Donation

Come voluntarily
Be in good health
Be between 18 and 65 years old
Weigh 50 kg (110 lbs) or more
Have had no symptoms of acute illness in the past 15 days
Not have consumed more than one alcoholic drink (or equivalent) in the past 72 hours
Observe a short fasting period: 2 hours for blood donation and 4 hours for platelet donation
Have availability of time:
- 1 hour for blood donation*
- 2.5 hours for platelet donation*

*Time may be longer depending on the number of donors.

Donors with the following history are not accepted:

Organ or cornea transplant recipients
Users of drugs and/or narcotics
Having multiple sexual partners
History of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, Syphilis
Epilepsy / seizure disorders
Use of experimental vaccines
Use of growth hormone or anabolic steroids
History of any type of cancer
Hematological or autoimmune diseases
Heart conditions and dysautonomias
Women who are breastfeeding

12 MONTHS

Sexually transmitted infections / Sexual assault
Sexual contact with strangers
Tattoos / Skin piercings
Blood transfusions / Use of Botox
Acupuncture, endoscopies, catheterizations, etc.
Hair removal by electrolysis

6 MONTHS

Major surgery or accident
Childbirth or cesarean section

1 MONTH

Travel abroad: tropical areas of South America and Africa
Trips lasting more than 4 days
Visited rural areas, ranches, or farms
Contact with livestock or wild animals

Women who have ever been pregnant, due to immunological reasons, are not eligible for platelet donation.
Some medications may cause deferral. If you are taking any, please consult the Medication List and the respective waiting period.
If you have recently donated blood or blood components, please check the deferral period for each type of donation.
These are general donation requirements; during the Medical History and Evaluation, additional criteria will be assessed.
If you have piercings, they must be removed at least 72 hours before the day of donation.

Medications That Cause Deferral for Blood Donation

Medication		Deferral Period After Discontinuation
Medications with Teratogenic Effects	Acitretin	3 years
	Tamoxifen	18 months
	Dutasteride	6 months
	Finasteride Tretinoin Isotretinoin Tetracycline Thalidomide	28 days
Medications of Human Origin	Transfer factor	12 months

Medications That Cause Deferral for Platelet Donation

Medications that affect platelet function	Deferral period after discontinuation
Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid) Meloxicam Piroxicam Tenoxicam Naproxen Sulindac Phenylbutazone Nabumetone Clopidogrel	5 days
Diclofenac Aceclofenac Ketorolac Ketoprofen Ibuprofen Flurbiprofen Dexibuprofen Indomethacin Acetaminophen Mefenamic acid	2 days

Deferral Intervals Between Different Types of Blood Donations

Initial Donation	Second Donation	Deferral Interval (weeks)
Whole blood	Whole blood	8
	Simple red cell apheresis	8
	Double red cell apheresis	12
	Platelet apheresis No red cells extracted	4
	Plasma apheresis No red cells extracted	4
Simple red cell apheresis or failed return of red cells during apheresis	Simple red cell apheresis	8
	Double red cell apheresis	12
	Platelet apheresis	4
Double red cell apheresis	Whole blood	24
Double red cell apheresis	Simple or double red cell apheresis	24
Platelet apheresis	Platelet apheresis	2
	Whole blood
	Simple red cell apheresis

You Can Donate If

You had Hepatitis A before the age of 10
You are taking oral contraceptives or are on your menstrual period
You have controlled diabetes and do not use insulin
You have controlled high blood pressure
You received a tetanus or diphtheria toxoid vaccine
You are a healthcare professional with no risk factors related to patient care

Procedure to Make a Donation

Present an official photo ID
Read and sign the Privacy Notice for the protection of personal data
Read and sign the Informed Consent Form for blood and/or blood component donation
Answer truthfully and personally sign the Medical History Form
Submit your ID and documents at the Blood Bank reception
Wait to be called by the evaluating physician

Ask any questions you may have — Blood Bank staff will assist you at every step of the process

Frequently Asked Questions

Both pregnancies and transfusions are events that expose the donor to generate antibodies (in the case of pregnancy these antibodies are against the baby's immune system and in the case of transfusions they are because the blood or platelets that the patient receives are not identical to the patient's own), in both cases the more pregnancies we have or the more transfusions we have received, the variety of antibodies is greater and these antibodies are found in the plasma, which is the liquid part of the blood, when we donate platelets they are suspended in this plasma and when the product is transfused, the patient who receives it can produce an immune response that can be severe due to these antibodies.

It is necessary for each patient who uses units to go with donors to replace the blood that is transfused, since the Bank must maintain the reserves for its optimal functioning and guarantee that any patient, in an emergency, is treated immediately and not wait to collect the blood or blood components required.

Depending on the patient's condition or the medical-surgical procedure to which it will undergo, the need for blood units will depend on the amount that your attending physician considers necessary, a Centro Médico ABC collaborator will contact you to give you the number of units used, or you can call the Blood Bank directly.

It is not possible. The blood collection and study procedure that verifies that it is free from microorganisms capable of transmitting an infection by transfusion, compatibility tests, among others, are carried out in several hours before being used.

Centro Médico ABC does not buy or sell blood. All blood that is transfused at Centro Médico ABC comes from altruistic donors and from family members, colleagues, or friends of patients. However, our Blood Bank grants as a “loan” the units that the patient requires, which must be replaced as soon as possible to meet the needs of the rest of the patients. In 2015, a decree to amend the General Health Law was published where organs, tissues and cells trade is prohibited.

The charges made by the Blood Bank derive from the recovery of the costs of obtaining, extraction, analysis, conservation, preparation, distribution, transport, and supply of blood or blood components. When people come to donate, it is necessary to carry out a thorough medical analysis of their habits and possible conditions, as well as the study of infectious agents that can be transmitted by transfusion, which can be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-AIDS), hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, Trypanosoma cruzi (causing Chagas disease) and Treponema pallidum (causing syphilis), likewise, the procedure of collection, processing and conservation of the units is expensive. Other charges may stem from conducting pre-transfusion compatibility tests, special tests or procedures, and the transfusion process itself.

In any blood transfusion, there is a risk of transmitting infectious diseases or administering blood components that are not compatible with the patient's blood type, however, Centro Médico ABC has the assurance that all blood components obtained and the processes carried out are performed under quality and safety standards indicated by national and international standards, thus guaranteeing the safety of all units transfused to patients.

One of our executives will contact you shortly. If you have an emergency, call the emergency room of the campus of your choice: Observatorio 55 5230 8000, Santa Fe 55 1103 1600