An individual recently died a day after donating plasma, but health officials and the Canadian Blood Services say it isn’t connected to the donation itself. In an email to CTVNews.ca on Monday, a spokesperson from Health Canada confirmed that Canadian Blood Services (CBS) notified the federal health agency Sept. 25 about the death. The law requires blood organizations to report deaths to Health Canada within 72 hours of a donation. After Health Canada reviewed the documents provided by CBS, the spokesperson said the federal agency found that the information does not suggest that the organization’s plasma operation “posed a risk to safety.” “The information provided by CBS demonstrates that they followed their authorized protocols and procedures, including an assessment of the donor’s eligibility,” the spokesperson wrote. “CBS followed appropriate collection procedures and practices and there is no indication or suggestion of any equipment failures, malfunction, misuse or deviation from established procedures during the donation process.” Despite no safety issues in this case, back in August, Health Canada had several compliance concerns for a Winnipeg-based, private blood donation site run by Grifols. The death of two donors in Winnipeg had led to Grifols temporarily closing its collection sites in Canada. Grifols said it didn’t believe plasma donation was connected to the deaths, adding that it followed protocols. ‘Deeply saddened’ In response to CTVNews.ca’s questions about the latest death, a spokesperson for the Canadian Blood Services said in a separate email that the organization is “deeply saddened” about the death of a long-time donor and volunteer. “After receiving this sad news from a family member, it was determined the individual had donated at one of our centres the day before they passed,” the spokesperson wrote on Monday. The organization said it then “immediately notified” Health Canada within 72 hours of the death. Then it conducted a “comprehensive review,” which included speaking with the donor’s immediate family and assessing the person’s donation record and last donation. “Canadian Blood Services medical professionals determined that there was no connection between the individual’s death and their donation,” the spokesperson wrote. “This assessment was shared with Health Canada, which advised that no further information or follow-up was required.” The organization said it would not share “further details” on the incident out of respect for the person and their family. “We are grateful for this individual’s long-standing commitment both as a long-time donor and a volunteer, and extend our heartfelt condolences to their family, friends, and community,” the spokesperson wrote. With files from CTV News’ Daniel Otis and The Canadian Press
