The provision of a secure and safe blood supply has taken on new importance in sub-Saharan Africa with the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Blood transfusion services capable of providing safe blood are not cheap, however, and there has been some debate on the desirability and sustainability of different financing ...

A review is presented to show the advantages involved in the use of Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) for the determination of artificial sweeteners. The FI methods proposed for the determination of artificial sweeteners are described and compared on the basis of the detection technique used. Analytical data of interest and ...

Donor selection based on blood group phenotypes, and blood processing such as leukocyte-depletion, gamma-irradiation or washing to remove plasma, are approaches for therapeutic or preventive use to manage the immunological complications of transfusion. Indications for specific components are prescribed in guidelines provided by (inter)national Transfusion Societies. Although the use of ...

The total circulating red cell volume (RCV) is a better guide to the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood in the whole circulation than is the haemoglobin concentration (Hb) or haematocrit in a blood sample. Pre- and post-transfusion RCV (and blood volume (BV)) may be determined by flow cytometry by exploiting ...

Efficient use of blood is desirable due to increased demand for blood, shortfall in donations, and the risk of mismatch transfusion accidents and transfusion-transmitted infections. We surveyed transfusion practice in three hospitals. Low haemoglobin was a feature in 91% of transfusion requests and is the commonest 'trigger' for transfusion. Forty-eight ...

PURPOSE: This case report describes the intra-operative management of a prolonged QT interval in the setting of massive transfusion. CLINICAL FEATURES: A previously healthy, 45-yr-old man presented for repair of a class IV thoraco-abdominal aneurysm. The initial stages of the operation were relatively uneventful, with the exception of an estimated ...

BACKGROUND: Health policymakers are concerned about the proportion of people who say they are unwilling to receive a blood transfusion. This article examines how social, cultural, and political factors affect the perceived risk of transfusions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were collected as part of a large national telephone survey ...

Surgical patients requiring massive blood transfusion therapy present many challenges for the anesthetist. The decision to transfuse homologous banked blood and its components must be weighed against the potential complications that may occur in this form of therapy. A review of metabolic changes that occur in banked blood, the risk ...

The discovery of AIDS in the 1980s and its rapid evolution as a major concern for physicians and their patients have led to many questions about the safety of the blood supply. The attention placed on AIDS has led to new discoveries and technologies to reduce the risk of other ...

16 post transfusion deaths were studied by reviewing clinical and blood bank records and by postmortem examination whenever possible. 13 of these cases belonged to regional blood bank, 2 were transfused in other hospitals and referred for management of transfusion reactions and one case be longed to other blood bank ...

While blood products become more safe in terms of viral contamination, the risk of transfusion-related bacterial infection has re-emerged to one of the major hazards in transfusion medicine. In recent prospective studies the rate of contaminated platelets ranged from 0.04 to 0.5%, and a rate of transfusion reactions between 0.007% ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the strength of association between history of blood transfusion and development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. DATA SOURCES: English and non-English language articles published from January 1966 to January 1999 were retrieved using a keyword search of Medline and Embase. These were supplemented by handsearching key journals and searching ...

OBJECTIVE: To find out what effect whole blood and leucocyte-depleted blood transfusions had on the healing process of intestinal anastomoses in rats. DESIGN: Experimental study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Greece. SUBJECTS: 100 Wistar rats in five groups of 20 each. INTERVENTIONS: Small and large bowel anastomoses were made and the five ...

In 1998 we implemented a BCSH recommendation that addressograph labels should not be used on blood transfusion specimen tubes. Over a 12-month period before the ban was introduced our laboratory received 5964 red cell transfusion requests, 182 (3.1%) of which contained an error in the identification details (ID) supplied on ...

Fatal haemolytic transfusion reaction due to ABO incompatibility occurs mainly as a result of clerical error. A blood sample drawn from the wrong patient and labelled as another patient's will not be detected by the blood bank unless there is a previous ABO grouping result. We report here the detection ...

The transmission of viral disease in the operating room is an evolving problem. Advances in transfusion medicine have made blood supply safer than ever, whereas changes in transfusion practice have minimized the amount of blood transfused. The epidemiology of viral infection is changing in both the general population and among ...

We report Alanine Dosimeter preparation, procedures for using the ESR/Dosimetry method, and the resulting calibration curve for gamma-irradiation in the range from 10-30 Gy. We use calibration curve to measure the irradiation dose in gamma-irradiation of human blood, as required in Blood Transfusion Therapy. The ESR/Alanine results are compared against ...

BACKGROUND: Deliberate blood-letting has been characterized as an alternative to purging behavior in bulimia. METHOD: We describe a female healthcare worker with an 8-year history of restrictive anorexia nervosa, who initially presented with anemia, using blood-letting, cold baths, and starvation to control her mental state. RESULTS: In contrast with the ...

We report a successful treatment of a B19 parvovirus-induced fetal hydrops diagnosed at 16 weeks of gestation. This disease could be corrected by means of a unique intraperitoneal blood transfusion performed at 18 weeks, once diagnosis was established. The delivery occurred at 36 weeks, leading to the birth of a ...

A case of successful replantation of the nose is presented. Two arteries and one vein were anastomosed, providing a stable framework for direct revascularization of the amputated nasal segment. This resulted in complete survival of the nose, with an excellent aesthetic result. However, despite successful microsurgical arterial and venous repair, ...

PRESENTATION: a previously fit 80-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of spontaneous and extensive bruising affecting all four limbs. The severity was such that she required a transfusion of 8 units of blood. RESULTS OF INVESTIGATIONS: a markedly prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time which was only partially corrected with ...

BACKGROUND: Babesiosis can be life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals. Although the disease is usually transmitted by tick bite, more than 20 cases have been reported of infection transmitted by transfusion of blood or blood components obtained from apparently healthy donors from endemic areas in the United States. This report describes several ...

In a recent publication, G. Schmunis et al presented data from Latin America on blood quality and on important approaches to preventing human immmunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and other infectious diseases that may be transmitted by blood transfusion. Mass screening between 1987 and 1988 in Peru of ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of rapid transfusion of packed red cells on the arterial blood gases and acid-base status of the recipient. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 16 patients (mean age 66.3+/-9.9 years) who received rapid transfusion of 632.8+/-287.2 g of ...

The risks associated to red cell and platelet transfusions are essentially bound to the polymorphism of blood group antigens and to transfusion transmitted agents including virus, bacterias.... In France, the haemovigilance system and several investigations allowed to measure these different kinds of risks. We also developed analysis of failures in ...

The transfusion of blood products has become increasingly safe over the last few years, but the procedure is not without risk. One rare, but serious, complication is sepsis related to the transfusion of blood contaminated with bacteria. This article discusses the risk, treatment, and prevention of this potential complication of ...

The AIDS pandemic has brought into focus the importance of safe blood transfusion. The management of an effective transfusion service is an expensive endeavour even in the most developed countries, and is therefore a monumental challenge for developing countries with limited budgets and other priorities. HIV prevalence in the Indian ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Of 200 volunteer blood donors we had screened earlier for hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA, using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, 3 were positive, raising the possibility of transfusion-associated hepatitis E in areas endemic for this virus. This retrospective study was to reassess the extent of post-transfusion hepatitis ...

The use of Speiser needles for interstitial implants has resulted in malfunctioning of HDR afterloading equipment due to seepage of blood. We have successfully used rounded ended needles in the patient after removal of the trocar ended needles, preventing the seepage of blood. This technique also helps to prevent any ...

A case is presented in which a relatively modest blood transfusion resulted in acute hyperkalaemia with a 'near-miss' cardiac arrest. While transfusion-related hyperkalaemia usually occurs in association with massive transfusions, several factors may have increased the risk of such an acute reaction. A high index of suspicion is required, especially ...

A prospective study of mothers needing Caesarean section was undertaken to examine the need for blood transfusion, the actual number of units given and the effectiveness of blood transfusion in preventing maternal mortality. Of 3665 mothers in 22 hospitals in Malawi, 11.1% were assessed as needing a transfusion and 7.2% ...

To try to further define the mechanisms that increase the levels of hemoglobin F (HbF) in the blood of patients with severe forms of beta thalassemia, we have studied two comparable populations of hemoglobin E (HbE)/beta thalassemics, one regularly transfused and one receiving only occasional blood transfusions. Regular transfusion was ...

Blood transfusion became a relatively safe and practicable procedure following the discovery in 1900 of blood groups and the realization early in the first World War that citrate was a safe and effective anticoagulant. Transfusion may elicit the formation of antibodies in the recipient due to "foreign" antigens on the ...

BACKGROUND: Massive transfusions can produce cardiovascular instability, metabolic abnormalities, dilutional coagulopathy, and pulmonary dysfunction. They also have been related to a higher incidence of infections. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of massive transfusion of reconstituted whole blood. METHODS: Twenty consecutive severely burned pediatric patients underwent ...

Blood transfusion therapy is often under-utilised in feline practice in South Africa. However, it is a technique that can be safely and effectively introduced in practice. Cats have naturally occurring allo-antibodies against the blood type that they lack, which makes blood typing, or alternatively cross-matching, essential before transfusions. Feline blood ...

The final decade of the last century of the second millennium ad has seen dramatic changes in all aspects of science and health care. In transfusion medicine, the blood supply is the safest it has ever been. Newer refinements and innovations are continuously being researched and implemented to achieve and ...

Many preterm infants are given multiple red blood cell transfusions during the early weeks of life. Because firm standards for neonatal transfusions do not exist, it is important to consider the pathophysiology of the anemia of prematurity, the goals of transfusion therapy and blood banking practices that best provide safe ...

BACKGROUND: Tick-borne illnesses were diagnosed in a group of National Guard members, including some who had donated blood a few days before the onset of symptoms. A voluntary recall of those blood components was issued and a multistate investigation was conducted to determine if transfusion-transmitted illness had occurred. STUDY DESIGN ...

OBJECTIVE: To receive and collate reports of death or major complications of transfusion of blood or components. DESIGN: Haematologists were invited confidentially to report deaths and major complications after blood transfusion during October 1996 to September 1998. SETTING: Hospitals in United Kingdom and Ireland. SUBJECTS: Patients who died or experienced ...

Blood bankers have always embraced the concepts of quality exemplified by the American Association of Blood Banks' Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services and its accreditation program. The emergence of a quality management system based on a set of quality system essentials represents a natural evolution of these quality ...

Unexpected and confusing laboratory test results can occur if a blood sample is inadvertently collected following a blood transfusion. A potential for transfusion-acquired hemoglobinopathy exists because heterozygous individuals show no significant abnormalities during the blood donor screening process. Such spurious results are infrequently reported in the medical literature. We report ...

During a murder enquiry, the forensic science investigation used PGM and EAP blood grouping systems and detected a mixture of blood on the deceased's jacket. The blood groups matched those of the deceased and accused. The results of DNA analysis, however, proved that only a single source of DNA, matching ...

Guiding the decision to transfuse can improve transfusion practices. Effective processes must first identify problem(s) in transfusion practice and then include the attending physician as an educational target. Process improvements that have been shown to be effective include the following: (1) briefly meeting one-on-one with physicians, (2) teaching at scheduled ...

Outcomes data in medicine can be limited by subjective methodologic issues such as poor selection of end points and use of nonvalidated systems for quality adjustment. Blood transfusion analyses are further complicated by the fact that transfusion seldom is primary therapy but is usually supportive or adjunctive. Thus, much of ...

Error is ubiquitous whenever humans are involved in a process. Fortunately, most transfusion-related errors are benign. However, the risk of death due to acute hemolytic transfusion reaction rivals that of human immunodeficiency virus transmission and administration of the wrong blood or of blood to the wrong recipient has occurred at ...

A few epidemiologic studies have suggested that blood transfusion may be a risk factor for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The authors tested this hypothesis in a population-based, case-control study, using pathologically verified non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases and transfusion documented via medical records. In 221 age- and sex-matched case-control pairs from Olmsted County, Minnesota, ...

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a double-stranded DNA virus which can be transmitted by blood transfusion. Its seroprevalence in adults ranges from 40% to 100% depending on geographical and socioeconomic conditions. Seropositive individuals have latent CMV infection with viral DNA present in peripheral blood leucocytes. CMV can be associated with considerable morbidity ...

Many quality assurance workers have been concerned about undertransfusion since acquired immune deficiency syndrome was first shown to be transmitted by blood transfusion. Physicians may be reluctant to order transfusions, and patients may be hesitant to receive blood therapy, even in situations meeting established guidelines for transfusion therapy. Transfusion guidelines ...

CONTEXT: The risk of acquiring babesiosis by blood transfusion is largely unknown since in areas where it is endemic it is often an asymptomatic infection. OBJECTIVE: To investigate and treat a cluster of blood transfusion-associated babesiosis cases. DESIGN: Case series and epidemiologic investigation. SETTING: Urban inner-city hospital. PATIENTS: Six persons ...

Intussusception cannot be reliably ruled out with clinical examination and plain radiography. However, a contrast material enema study and ultrasonography (US) allow definitive diagnosis of intussusception. The components of an intussusception produce characteristic appearances on US scans. These appearances include the multiple concentric ring sign and crescent-in-doughnut sign on axial ...