Autologous blood donation is the process of donating blood that is stored and given back to you during or after your surgery.

Your physician and/or the Medical Director of the Oklahoma Blood Institute will determine your eligibility. If you are not eligible to donate blood for others, you may be eligible to donate for yourself. There are no age limitations with autologous blood donations. The same infectious disease testing is done on autologous blood donations as volunteer blood donations. Being positive for some infectious disease markers may make you ineligible for an autologous donation.

This depends on your physicians request and when your surgery is scheduled. Red blood cells can be refrigerated for up to 42 days. Autologous donations may be scheduled weekly, and optimally should be completed seven days prior to your surgery.

Guidelines from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), a national accrediting agency, allow patients with a lower than normal hematocrit level (the amount of iron in your red cells) to become autologous blood donors. Your physician and the Medical Director of the Oklahoma Blood Institute have found short term autologous donations to be safe. Before each blood donation, OBI checks your hematocrit level and, if necessary, prescribes iron supplements.

OBI evaluates your health, checking your pulse rate, temperature, iron level and blood pressure, to determine a safe donating schedule. After your blood is drawn, you will receive refreshments.

Yes. Through testing, OBI may identify a problem with your blood that could be of importance to you and your physician.

When your autologous donation is drawn, the Oklahoma Blood Institute attaches a tag to the unit containing your identification and signature. OBI works closely with your hospital in tracking each blood donation.

Yes. Each autologous unit is charged a special service fee plus the normal blood processing fee. This fee covers the additional staff time needed to schedule and serve you, and to handle your blood in a special manner outside normal processing procedures. OBI bills these charges to the hospital where your surgery is performed, and then the hospital charges you or your insurance company. If your blood must be shipped to a hospital outside our service area, you may be responsible for all charges including processing, special handling and shipping fees. Please remember, you are financially responsible for all blood product fees in the event that your surgery is cancelled.

If you are unable to make autologous donations, OBI will supply volunteer donor blood for you.You may also select your own donors by directed donations through the Donor Services Department.