What's New - Chronological (January 2019)

Also see What's new by topic | What's new - Archives

• BC PBCO
• NEW TraQ's December newsletter

17 January

• BloodSafe ELearning Australia has new free courses based on Patient Blood Management Guidelines:
  • Module 6 - PBM for Neonatal and Paediatrics
• Higher platelet transfusion threshold appeared to increase risk for death and major bleeding among preterm infants with severe thrombocytopenia (16 Jan. 2019)
  • Curley A, Stanworth SJ, Willoughby K, Fustolo-Gunnink SF, Venkatesh V, Hudson C, et al. Randomized trial of platelet-transfusion thresholds in neonates. N Engl J Med. 2019 Jan 17;380(3):242-51. Epub 2018 Nov 2.
• India: Woman who got HIV after transfusion delivers girl (18 Jan. 2019)
• Malta: MOU between National Blood Transfusion Service and local councils signed to promote blood donations (15 Jan. 2019)

15 January

• The history of blood (14 Jan. 2019) | Review of 'Nine Pints' (Rose George) by U.S. hematologist
• Iran: ‘High potential for local production of plasma-derived medicine’ (12 Jan. 2019)
• USA: Some help found, but more is needed for Florida girl with rare blood In(b-) phenotype (14 Jan. 2019)
• USA: Baylor St. Luke's replaces president, two other executives following latest lapse of patient death after transfusion of wrong blood group (14 Jan. 2019)

14 January

• Canada: Bad blood. The unspeakable truth (11 Jan. 2019)
• Canada (From @UnspeakableCBC): From one unaware donor to a patient in need of blood. Watch how it happened in this sneak peek clip of episode 2 (16 Jan. 2019_
• Ghana: Health Ministry issues directive to ensure transport of blood from one facility to another is done by only qualified health professionals, not patients' relatives (11 Jan. 2019)
• Pakistan: Over 1,500 tested positive for hepatitis in Islamabad (12 Jan.2019)

10 January

• Canada: Timeline of events (1981-83) covering discovery, transmission, first reported cases of 'Tainted Blood Scandal' (CBC's 'Unspeakable' 8 part series)
• UK (Infected Blood Inquiry): Inquiry launches innovative way to collect evidence (10 Jan. 2019)
• Kim J, Weigand M, Palmer AF, Zborowski M, Yazer MH, Chalmers JJ. Single cell analysis of aged RBCs: quantitative analysis of the aged cells and byproducts. Analyst. 2019 Jan 8. [Epub ahead of print]
• Shin KH, Lee HJ, Park KH, Hye BM, Chang CL, Kim HH. Extended red blood cell genotyping to investigate immunohematology problems. Ann Lab Med. 2018 Jul;38(4):387-8. (Free full text)
• Watson-Brown P, Viennet E, Mincham G, Williams CR, Jansen CC, Montgomery BL, Flower RLP, Faddy HM. Epidemic potential of Zika virus in Australia: implications for blood transfusion safety. Transfusion. 2019 Jan 8. [Epub ahead of print]

9 January

• UK: Government slammed for forcing contaminated blood widow into financial ruin days after husband’s death (8 Jan. 2019)
• USA: Screening all donated blood for Zika virus is not cost-effective in the United States (8 Jan. 2019)
  • Russell WA, Stramer SL, Busch MP, Custer B. Screening the blood supply for Zika virus in the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2019 Jan 8. [Epub ahead of print]

7 January

• India: Government asks USA's CDC to withdraw/modify Zika virus alert on pregnant women travelling to India (30 Dec. 2018)
• USA: Worldwide drive to find blood match for 2-year-old comes to San Francisco (6 Jan. 2019) | Child has rare In (a+b-) phenotype
  • 4th donor found to help girl with rare blood type; search continues (4 Jan. 2019)
  • Earlier repot on Fox News falsely claimed she had Bombay blood group (18 Dec. 2018)
• Evangelia-Eleni C, et al. Ex vivo generation of transfusable red blood cells from various stem cell sources: A concise revisit of where we are now. Transfus Apher Sci. 2018. EPub Dec 31, 2018. (Full free text)
• Kanagasabai U, Chevalier MS, Drammeh B, et al. Trends and gaps in national blood transfusion services - 14 sub-Saharan African countries, 2014­2016. MMWR 2018;67:1392­6. (Free full text)

4 January

• A guided tour of human blood: past, present, and future (4 Jan. 2019) | Review of 'Nine Pints' by Dr. David Scales
• Canada (CBS) Jan/Feb educational events includes 'Best Practices in Providing Culturally Competent Care for Trans Blood Donors. Does Blood Donation Effectively Reduce Hemoglobin for Donors Taking Testosterone?'
• UK: Bolton-Maggs PHB. Conference report: International Haemovigilance Seminar and the SHOT Annual Symposium, 10-12 July 2018. Transfus Med. 2018 Dec 27. [Epub ahead of print] | Note: You can download supporting information

1 January

• India: Second time in a month, pregnant woman claims she was transfused with HIV+ blood at public hospital (29 Dec. 2018)
• UK (Infected Blood Inquiry):
  • Scottish ministers were told in 2003 that UK Health Department was investigating claim contaminated blood was being "knowingly supplied" (1 Jan. 2019)
  • What I learned from a year reporting on the blood contamination scandal (30 Dec. 2018)
• USA: Ambrosia founder hawks young blood as a new miracle treatment. All that's missing is proof (29 Dec. 2018)