Please note:

• Rigid endoscope: Surgery type: Gallbladder removal and laparoscope (usually done with rigid endoscope but can end up as an open surgery), tension free vaginal tape, bronchoscopy (e.g. vocal cord monitoring). Deferral for blood donation is 1 months.

• Flexible endoscope: Surgery type: Gastro-/colonoscope, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, cystoscopy, hysteroscopy, laryngoscopy and fiberscopy. Deferral for blood donation is 4 months.

• Non-surgical arthroscopy, cervicoscopy. Deferral for blood donation is 2 weeks.

• Proctoscopy (rigid sigmoidoscopy): Deferral for blood donation is 1 day.

• Arthroscopy: Examination of joints. Usually performed with a straight instrument, but flexible instruments can also be used.

• Bronchoscopy instruments can be either flexible or rigid. Check the type of instrument. Fiberscopy that is passed through the nose/nasal cavity is always a flexible instrument. Inspection of the vocal cords through the mouth/oral cavity is usually done with a rigid instrument.

• Capsule endoscopy. Can donate blood if single use capsules are administered and underlying cause is not a reason for deferral.

• During robotic surgical procedure, it is possible that a flexible scope is used.

• Ultrasound examination of the heart: Can be done via the chest or via the oesophagus. If performed via the oesophagus – may be approved 4 months after the examination if the reason for the examination is approved.

Further information:

Disinfection of flexible scopes can be problematic. Incidents have been reported where infection has been transmitted via flexible scopes.