Smoking fewer than 20 cigarettes per day and remaining abstinent for more than 12 hours reduces carboxyhemoglobin levels in packed red blood cells for transfusion

摘要

BackgroundThe prevalence of smokers among blood donors and the effect of smoking on the quality of donated blood have not been extensively explored. In the present study, we determined the prevalence of smoker donors in a large blood bank in Southern Brazil and evaluated the quality of packed red blood cells (RBCs) from these donors through recommended quality control tests and measurement of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels. We then assessed the influence of smoking habits and abstinence before donation on these parameters.