Preoperative donation is not allowed in the 72 hours before surgery due to the time needed for recovery from the fluid loss of donation. Iron is removed with each donation and usually iron supplements are recommended to help replace this potential loss. The process of donating blood stimulates the bone marrow to produce new blood cells in the bone marrow. Given adequate recovery time, the donated blood cells may be totally or partially replaced in the blood stream before the surgery takes place. Unused autologous units are discarded since current regulations do not allow for transfusion of these units to another person for safety reasons.
Some insurance companies require a referral to donate autologous blood.
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