The American Rare Donor Program: 25 years supporting rare blood needs

Abstract

Rare donor programs are critically important for those patients with rare phenotypes who have produced the associated alloantibodies that necessitate the provision of rare blood components. We describe the American Rare Donor Program (ARDP) and its establishment, members, and policies. The specific phenotypes meeting the ARDP criteria for inclusion are described. Data on the number of rare donors registered by year, and the number of requests for rare blood components received and fulfilled over the 25 years of the program (1998-2023) are provided, along with a description of some notable cases and discussion of how the program supports patients with sickle cell disease.

Keywords: American Rare Donor Program (ARDP); RH allele selection; blood donation; exquisitely rare red cell phenotypes; high prevalence red cell antigens; rare blood.