Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025
Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
Published on: March 14, 2017
Therapeutic Phlebotomy for Testosterone-Induced Polycythemia
Nancy L Van Buren1, Anita J Hove1, Tracy A French2
1Physician Services, Division of New York Blood Center, St Paul, MN.
Objectives:
To evaluate therapeutic phlebotomy (TP) requests for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and to highlight the impact to a blood center (BC) or service that provides TP for individuals on TRT.
Methods:
Review of TP requests for individuals on TRT at our BC over a 3-year period from 2014 through 2016, as well as the total number of TP collections.
Results:
Total TPs during 2014, 2015, and 2016 were 475, 500, and 569, respectively. Annual TP collections for patients on TRT were 193, 212, and 239, respectively. TRT patients with TP orders increased 71.4% during this period. After discontinuation of TP services for TRT at our BC, 32% continued to donate as volunteer blood donors at our BC.
Conclusions:
Our BC observed increased TP requests for patients on TRT from 2014 through 2016. Our findings suggest that individuals on TRT may be presenting to BCs as volunteer blood donors to avoid charges for TP.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
01:30Venous Thrombosis IV: Nursing Management
02:45Blood Transfusion and Agglutination
History
The history of blood transfusion dates back to the 17th century, when early attempts were made in animals. In 1818 James Blundell, a British doctor, performed the first successful human blood transfusion. Later in 1900, Karl...