Bone Marrow Donation

Hey there! I was wondering if anyone knew about the restrictions on joining a bone marrow donation registry?

I had a pacemaker inserted recently so don't really know much about any restrictions there are about any type of donating?

(I am based in the UK if that is relevant at all)

Thanks :) 

2 Comments

Bone marrow donor

by 99becks - 2020-01-12 14:02:51

Hi, I've looked into it as a I'd love to be a donor too but sadly there are a list of medical conditions which mean people can't become a donor and any kind of heart disease and / or cardiac surgery is included in that list 

Bone Marrow Donor Contraindications

by Marybird - 2020-01-12 21:31:28

Yeah, I just looked on a bone marrow donation site and see they list having a pacemaker specifically under heart disease as a contraindication for being a bone marrow donor.

I also see they list age 60 as the upper limit for a bone marrow donor as well. They say after that age a person is more likely to have conditions or illnesses that would make him/her ineligible for donation anyway. But it also seems that they want their recipients to get younger bone marrow cells. Guess I can see that for sure.

I was on the BM donor list years ago, but never was called. Besides having the pacemaker I guess at age 72 I have aged out of it at this point.

I'm still listed as an organ donor on my drivers license. Guess if they wanted my heart it would need to be accompanied by the pacemaker and a lifetime supply of metoprolol...

You know you're wired when...

Muggers want your ICD, not your wallet.

Member Quotes

So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.