Transfusion medicine

Recent Updates

Published:

Aug 8, 2019

Donor Selection, Donor Testing and Pathogen Reduction

Chapter 6

All blood transfused in Canada is collected from volunteer donors. To ensure the safety of the blood products, donors are carefully screened against an extended list of eligibility criteria. In addition, the donated blood is tested to identify the donor’s blood group and to detect blood group antibodies and transfusion-transmissible pathogens. Donor eligibility criteria and testing also benefit the donors by, for example, reducing potential blood donation-related health risks.

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Published:

Sep 10, 2019

Fractionated Blood Products and Associated Pathogen Safety

Chapter 7

Background

Originally all plasma fractionation products were derived from pooled human plasma. Increasingly, many plasma proteins are manufactured by biotechnology as recombinant proteins, without need for donated plasma; depending on the plasma protein product, either a recombinant or fractionated product, or both are available in Canada.

Modified on:

Oct 17, 2019

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Surveillance report

We are pleased to present the seventh annual report describing transmissible blood-borne infection surveillance. High quality and timely surveillance is central to the safety of the blood supply.

Upcoming Events

Topic Teaching: MSM Policy at CBS

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When

April 14, 2020 | 12:00PM to 1:00PM

Where

Toronto/Webinar

Details to follow.

Note: The session is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

International Liver Congress

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When

April 15, 2020 | 8:00AM to April 19, 2020 | 4:00PM

Where

Vienna, Austria

The European Association for the Study of the Liver presents the International Liver Congress 2020. The programme will be organized according to the following specialties and fields:

-Basic and translational science

-Imaging and intervention

-Liver transplant and surgery

-Public health

To learn more about the event's programme or EASL, please click here.

Cancelled: Patients Are Not All the Same – Promoting Patient Centred Transfusion Care

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When

April 15, 2020 | 9:00AM to 4:00PM

Where

Belleville General Hospital

Unfortunately this event has been cancelled as a result of the restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to reschedule later in the year.

Blog

Modified on:

Apr 1, 2020

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Funding awarded to research and education innovators

Congratulations to the recipients of funding recently awarded through the Centre for Innovation’s BloodTechNet Award Program and Graduate Fellowship Program. This funding supports innovators in education and graduate students conducting research in the field of transfusion science.

Modified on:

Mar 25, 2020

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A novel microfluidic device to aid in the search for red blood cell “super-storers”

Donated red blood cell units are a vital component of patient care, supporting patients with a wide variety of disorders. However, not all blood units are the same, and the benefit they can deliver to a patient can vary from unit to unit. Read on to learn about a unique device developed in a research laboratory at the Centre for Blood Research that can sort stored red blood cells based on their “squeezability”. This reflects how well red blood cells can squeeze their way through the circulation after a transfusion and could help identify “super-storers”.

Modified on:

Mar 11, 2020

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Fibrinogen replacement products: how do they stack up against each other?

For patients who have cardiac surgery, the risk of severe blood loss is high if they have a condition called acquired hypofibrinogenemia — this means they have an undersupply of an essential blood clotting protein called fibrinogen. Doctors aim to minimize their bleeding with a fibrinogen replacement product, either cryoprecipitate or fibrinogen concentrate, to restore clotting factors to normal levels. A recent study that compared both products could have an impact on how cardiac patients are treated in Canada.