TraQ's electronic newsletter reports monthly updates to the website and is sent to everyone who registers to receive them.

If TraQ is useful, please let us know: Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

August's newsletter includes these highlights:

International news featuring:

• General:
  • Douglas Surgenor, who worked with E.J. Cohn of 'Cohn fractionation', dead at 93
  • Bernadine P. Healy, 1st woman to head NIH, dead at 67
• Canada:
  • Breach of medical laboratory licensing regulations, exposed by pathologist whistleblower (since fired), linked to pathologist shortage
  • Every hospital has a professional dress code but The Ottawa Hospital publicized theirs
• International:
  • Hong Kong: Group B patient who received A rbc in error in serious condition
  • Ireland: IBTS opens redundancy talks for staff with Dept. of Health
  • UK:
    • Transfusion Science program at IBMS Congress
    • Scotland: Fife nurse struck off for 'grave' transfusion error, inc. proceedings of the disciplinary committee
  • USA:
    • FDA identified problems at new ARC blood centers (inc. chronic under-staffing) & ARC reponse to newspaper article
    • Florida blood centers battle for donors
    • Tap water used for ink implicated in tattoo-related bacterial infection
    • Super blood donors could be tapped in an emergency
    • Florida blood banks in merger bring different strengths & baggage

Diseases: (all USA-related)

• Babesiosis rare but on the increase
• Case of tattoo-related bacterial infection
• New report on HIV infections (2006-2009)
• Armed Services Blood Program expands vCJD deferral policy

Industry news: Blast from the past: Competitive strategies for the changing world of blood banking, circa 1986

Resource library: 'Bloody Easy 3' from Sunnybrook & Women's College HSC in Toronto

New TM blog: "With love from me to you - Blood buddies " (Musings on staff shortages & succession planning in transfusion medicine)

and much more...

E-mail this page to a friend

September 5, 2011
Pat Letendre, TraQ coordinator

TraQ Newsletter - August 2011

INDEX

TraQ & BC PBCO | Global News | Diseases | Industry News | Resource Library - Links | Journals

• TraQ home | BC PBCO website
• 2011 Education Session on Blood Transfusion Issues (September 28, 2011 in Castlegar, BC)
  • Presented by BC PBCO & CBS in conjunction with BCSLS Congress

For the latest news see What's new - chronological

General

• In Memoriam: Douglas Surgenor, PhD, pioneer in blood collection & transfusion methods (1 Sept. 2011)
  • For history buffs, fascinating look at early research:
  • Rosen FS. Book Review: 'Edwin J. Cohn and the development of protein chemistry' By Douglas M. Surgenor. N Engl J Med 2003 Jul 31; 349:511–2.
  • Creager ANH. What blood told Dr Cohn': World War II, plasma fractionation, and the growth of human blood research.Stud Hist Phil Biol & Biomed Sci 1999; 30(3):377–405.
• Bernadine P. Healy, 1st woman to head NIH and leading heath crusader, dead at 67 (7 Aug. 2011)

Canadian

• BC PBCO & CBS: 2011 Education Session on Blood Transfusion Issues (September 28, 2011 in Castlegar, BC)
  • Presented in conjunction with BCSLS Congress
• Breach of medical laboratory licensing regulations, exposed by pathologist whistleblower (since fired), linked to pathologist shortage (CMAJ, 9 Aug. 2011)
• Ottawa Hospital publicizes professional dress code (Patients complained they couldn't tell nurses from others) (CMAJ, 9 Aug. 2011)
• Students develop mediwiki to share notes with world (CMAJ, 9 Aug. 2011)
  • See sharinginheath.ca (Audience is 1^o care workers)
  • Ex: Infectious diseases

International

Hong Kong

• Group B patient who received A rbc in error in serious condition (11 Aug. 2011)

Ireland

• IBTS opens redundancy talks for staff with Dept. of Health as it continues to cut costs (21 Aug. 2011)

Pakistan

• Yousaf MZ, Zia S, Babar ME, Ashfaq UA. The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in developing countries; the current scenario in Pakistan. Virol J 2011 Aug 12;8(1):401. [Epub ahead of print]

UK

• IBMS Congress: Transfusion Science program (26–28 Sept. 2011, Birmingham, UK)
  • Interesting to see what others present at annual meetings | Click on any underlined topics for more info
• Scotland: Fife nurse struck off for 'grave' blood transfusion error (18 Aug. 2011)
  • Proceedings of Nursing and Midwifery Council (11-12 Aug. 2011)
  • Earlier case: Experienced Skye nurse struck off over patient's care (13 Jan. 2011)

USA

• FDA found problems at new ARC blood centers (chronic under-staffing, inadequate training, quality-assurance lapses, and ineffective management)
  • ARC response to newspaper article (1 Sept. 2011)
• Suncoast battles Florida Blood Services for donors (31 July 2011)
• Worker recalls 50 yrs in blood bank lab (21 Aug. 2011)
• Tap water used for ink likely cause of tattoo-related bacterial infection (11 Aug. 2011)
  • Kay MK, Perti TR, Duchin JS. Tattoo-associated Mycobacterium haemophilum skin infection in immunocompetent adult, 2009.Emerg Infect Dis 2011 Sep; [Epub ahead of print]
• Prejean J, et al.Estimated HIV incidence in United States, 2006–2009 PLoS ONE 6(8): e17502. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017502
  • HIV infections remain steady at ~50,000 cases/yr - largest increases were among young, gay black men (3 Aug. 2011)
• Florida blood banks in merger bring different strengths and baggage (6 Aug. 2011)
• Super blood donors could be tapped in an emergency (2 Aug. 2011)
  • Maintaining a safe and adequate supply of donated blood during a severe emergency (FDA BPAC meeting materials, Aug.2-3, 2011)

Diseases in the News

Babesiosis

• USA: Babesiosis rare but on the increase (11 Aug. 2011) | AABB factsheet - Babesia

Bacterial infection

• See Kay et al. under journals below.

HIV

• Prejean J, et al. Estimated HIV incidence in United States, 2006–2009 PLoS ONE 6(8): e17502. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017502
  • HIV infections remain steady at ~50,000 cases/yr - largest increases were among young, gay black men (3 Aug. 2011)

vCJD

• USA: Armed Services Blood Program expands vCJD deferral policy (9 Aug. 2011)

* Also see TraQ's Disease clearinghouses

Industry News

• Competitive strategies for the changing world of blood banking (MLO, July 1986)
  • Still relevant 25 yrs later (As the French say, Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.)

* Also see TraQ's Industry News

Resource Library / Links

BC PBCO TTISS - V2.0 docs - 'TTI 0001. Quick Reference Guide - Response to Transfusion Reaction' & model 'Transfusion Reaction Report Forms' (18 Aug. 2011)

TM blog: "With love from me to you - Blood buddies " (Musings on staff shortages & succession planning in transfusion medicine)

Bloody Easy 3 - Blood Transfusions, Blood Alternatives, Transfusion Reactions, ed. 3. Handbook from Sunnybrook & Women's College HSC, Toronto

Other resources from Sunnybrook

CBS: Visual assessment guide

*Also see TraQ's Resource Library | Nursing resources | Literature clearinghouses | Links | Continuing education | Jobs | Video library | Calendar of events

Journals, Newsletters, etc.

• Adams KW, Tolich D. Blood transfusion: The patient's experience. Am J Nurs. 2011 Sep;111(9):24–30.
• Ansari S, Szallasi A. Blood management by transfusion triggers: when less is more. Blood Transfus 2011 Jun 15;4(1):1–6. (full free text)
• Kay MK, Perti TR, Duchin JS. Tattoo-associated Mycobacterium haemophilum skin infection in immunocompetent adult, 2009.Emerg Infect Dis 2011 Sep; [Epub ahead of print]
• Yousaf MZ, Zia S, Babar ME, Ashfaq UA. The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in developing countries; the current scenario in Pakistan. Virol J 2011 Aug 12;8(1):401. [Epub ahead of print]

If TraQ is useful, please let us know: Contact: TraQAdmin@traqprogram.ca