Arm Complications After Manual Whole Blood Donation and Their Impact

Arm complications after whole blood donation occur in approximately 30% of donations. The 2 most common arm complications are contusion/hematoma (23%) and arm pain (10%). A variety of arm complications were evaluated from a national donor complication database, clinical studies, and review of the literature. The incidence of nerve injuries, arterial punctures, contusions/hematomas, and other complications were based on observations and reports at blood drives, interviews 3 weeks after donations, and donor reports of outside medical care. The clinical course of each complication is described.