Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and directed blood donations. A dilemma for American medicine
M. S. Kruskall and J. Umlas
Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Mass.
The devastating consequences of transfusion-associated acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome have led some patients and physicians to propose
recipient-orchestrated (directed) donations as a method of improving the
safety of blood transfusions. This method is not safer than volunteer blood
donation and introduces several legal, ethical, and administrative
problems. Blood banks should discourage the use of directed blood
donations, and physicians should work to educate the public about the lack
of benefit of directed donations and their potential risks.
