Testing Donated Blood
Blood donations are tested in order to:

• allow appropriate selection of blood for transfusion. For example, to permit ABO compatibility between donor and recipient
• minimise or prevent (where possible) adverse consequences of transfusion. For example, to minimise the risk of transmission of infections which can cause disease in transfusion recipients
• identify donors whose donations are not suitable for transfusion- for example, donors found to carry transfusion-transmissible infections must be notified and counselled.

In Australia, all donations are tested for:

• ABO and Rh(D) blood groups
• Red cell antibodies
• HIV 1/2 - antibody and RNA
• Hepatitis B surface antigen
• Hepatitis C - antibody and RNA
• HTLV I/II - antibody
• syphilis.

Testing and checking results occurs before blood components are released for clinical use or further manufacture. If any of the mandatory infectious disease screening tests is confirmed reactive, the donation is destroyed. Only donations that have satisfactory results for the above tests and meet other defined specifications are released for transfusion.

All tests are performed in licensed facilities, according to the principles of good laboratory and manufacturing practice (GLP/GMP)5, the manufacturer's instructions and strict ARCBS guidelines and standard operating procedures.

Storing Blood Safely
Proper storage of whole blood and blood components is essential.

• Red blood cells must be stored under refrigeration and can be kept for a maximum of 42 days or frozen for up to 10 years
• Platelets can be stored at room temperature for a maximum of 5 days
• Fresh frozen plasma can be kept frozen for up to 1 year
• Cryoprecipitate AHF made from fresh frozen plasma can be stored frozen for up to 1 year
• Granulocytes (white blood cells) must be transfused within 24 hours of donation.