Latest reports from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO)

The reports set out the work of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) during 2014 to 2017 and can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sabto-annual-reports

JLA seeks anaesthetists’ views for blood transfusion research

The James Lind Alliance (JLA) has launched a national survey providing anyone affected by blood transfusion and blood donation, personally or professionally, the chance to prioritise research questions about these services.

An online survey in the spring of 2016 identified approximately 800 uncertainties about blood donation and the use of blood transfusion. These uncertainties, presented as potential research questions were reviewed and categorised, and the existing evidence checked to see whether the answers to any of the questions were already known.

JLA is now at the second survey stage whereby an online voting process seeks to establish the top 10 research priorities in the field of blood donation and blood transfusion.

NIHR Signal Transfusing blood close to its use-by date does not increase deaths in critically ill adults

Transfusing more recently-collected red blood cells does not improve the chance of survival for critically-ill people who need blood transfusions, compared with blood that has been stored for longer.

This large international study included almost 5,000 critically ill people in intensive care units. Participants were transfused with either the freshest compatible blood available (mean storage 11.8 days) or the oldest compatible stored blood within its use-by date (mean storage time 22.4 days).

From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Draft AAGBI guideline Cell salvage for peri-operative blood conservation

A draft guideline on cell salvage for peri-operative blood conservation is in its final draft stage and comments are invited from members. Please read the draft and submit any comments to workingparties@aagbi.org. All comments submitted will be considered before a final version is brought before the AAGBI Board for approval. The closing date for comment submission is 5pm on Friday 12 January 2018.

Upper GI Cancer Resection: How Much Blood Do We Need to Give and When?

International Journal of Surgery (INT J SURG), Nov2017 Supplement 1; 47: S93-S93.

Many upper GI centres routinely crossmatch blood for patients undergoing gastric or oesophageal resection. British Society of Haematology (BSH) guidelines state that at least half of the units of compatible blood provided should be used in surgery. We aimed to quantify the utilisation of cross matched blood within a tertiary Upper GI centre where we routinely crossmatch 4 units of blood prior to resection.

UHCW Research: Krishnamoorthy, A., Wall, R., Munasinghe, A., Khatri, C., Tan, L.C. and Menon, V.

Safe transfusion practice: use a bedside checklist

Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT), has repeatedly identified that patients are harmed, and some die, as a result of being given the incorrect type of blood.

SHOT therefore recommends a structured process with a bedside checklist; this alert provides information against which organisations should assess their bedside systems.

Red cell washing for the prevention of transfusion- associated organ injury in cardiac surgery: The REDWASH Trial

Transfusion Medicine. Volume 26, Issue S2 September 2016  Pages 25–58 DOI: 10.1111/tme.12342
Abstracts of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Blood Transfusion Society, 21–23 September 2016, Harrogate

Poster: this study assessed whether the removal of pro-inflammatory substances that accumulate in stored donor red cells by mechanical cell washing would attenuate platelet and leucocyte activation, inflammation and organ injury post cardiac surgery.

UHCW Research: S. K. Budhia

Blood transfusion quality standard

New quality standard from NICE covering the general principles of blood transfusion in adults, young people and children over 1 year old. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement. It does not cover specific conditions that blood transfusion is used for.

Caring for patients who refuse blood: A Guide to Good Practice for the Surgical Management of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Other Patients Who Decline Transfusion

This document from the Royal College of Surgeons provides guidance on the surgical management of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other patients who withhold consent to blood transfusion. It takes into account and expands on the principles set out in Good Surgical Practice (RCS, 2014), Consent: Supported Decision-Making – A Guide to Good Practice (RCS, 2016) as well as guidance from the GMC and NICE, to enable surgeons and their teams to provide high-quality care to Jehovah’s Witness and other patients who refuse blood transfusion while respecting their right to make autonomous decisions about treatment.