INFECTIOUS-DISEASE MARKER TESTING OF THE AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD-DONOR - A CASE-STUDY IN CLINICAL ETHICS

Objective.-The Food and Drug Administration currently requires written authorization from the patient's physician before autologous units of blood that are positive or reactive for hepatitis B surface antigen o r anti-human immunodeficiency virus can be shipped from a site of coll ection different from the site of transfusion. Additionally, the Blood Products Advisory Committee has recommended the universal testing of all autologous units of blood. Design.-The case of an autologous blood donor with positive infectious disease markers is presented. The ethi cs of infectious disease testing of patients who preoperatively donate their own blood is discussed. Results.-Many ethical issues are raised by policies requiring infectious disease testing of the autologous bl ood donor. Blood banking and transfusion medicine specialists should e xamine the ethical issues raised by regulatory mandates to perform inf ectious disease testing of the patient who desires to make a preoperat ive autologous blood donation. Conclusion.-A policy that protects the rights of the patient as well as the rights and concerns of health car e professionals should be pursued.