The Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS) experienced an unexpected, critical shortage of group O-negative red cell products in early December last year, despite meeting collection targets, which resulted in restrictive blood-ordering measures for hospitals in the Western Cape. As always, our hero blood donors were called upon and came to the rescue, replenishing these stocks sufficiently by the end of the festive season.

We would like to take this opportunity to educate our blood users about the causes and safety of lipaemic blood donations. The milky appearance that is very occasionally seen in plasma products is due to high triglyceride levels in the donor. This is commonly caused by donors having a meal with a high fat content shortly before donating blood, or due to a medical condition causing raised triglyceride levels in their blood, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, liver or kidney disease. Studies have shown that lipaemic donations are often associated with male donors, smokers and people who donate blood in the evening (after having eaten supper).