Donor Iron Deficiency Study (DIDS): protocol of a study to test whether iron deficiency in blood donors affects red blood cell recovery after transfusion

摘要

BackgroundDespite fulfilling all requirements for blood donation, a large proportion of regular blood donors are iron deficient. Red blood cells (RBC) from iron-deficient donors may be particularly susceptible to damage induced by standard refrigerated storage. Herein, we present a study protocol for testing whether correcting iron deficiency in donors with iron-deficient erythropoiesis will improve the quality of their refrigerator-stored RBC.