Transfusion medicine

Canadian Blood Services supports best practices in transfusion medicine through the development of educational resources. Written by subject-matter experts from across Canada, our transfusion medicine resources support clinical practice and help health-care professionals stay current in an ever-changing field.

If you are a health-care professional working in transfusion medicine and have a comment or suggestions for new resources, please get in touch.

Aditi Khandelwal
Transfusion Medicine Specialist and Hematologist

Surveillance report

We are pleased to present this annual report describing transmissible blood-borne infection surveillance. High quality and timely surveillance is central to the safety of the blood supply. This includes monitoring of transmissible disease markers that the blood is tested for (including bacteria) and investigation of any reports of possible transfusion transmission, as well as a horizon scan for any new pathogens that may pose a risk.

Informed consent for blood transfusion

New interactive online modules support health-care professionals in understanding the basics of informed consent, including how to obtain an informed consent for transfusion of blood products and components, risks and alternatives.

Red cell antigen genotyping reports

Canadian Blood Services performs extended red cell antigen genotyping at the National Immunohematology Reference Laboratory (NIRL) using Grifols’ ID CORE XT assay. A new course (published January 2024) on interpreting these genotyping reports is now available. The course supports healthcare providers in understanding components of the red cell antigen genotyping report and the significance of the results.

Latest updates from the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products (as of July 23, 2024)

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Upcoming events

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Oct 24
12:00 pm | Virtual

How do we improve transfusion practice in pediatric massive hemorrhage protocols?

Presented by Dr. Kimmo Murto Learning objectives TBD Registration Registration is required for this event and a Zoom registration form will be available closer to the event. To receive registration details for upcoming U of T Transfusion Medicine Rounds directly, join the U of T Transfusion Medicine

Transfusion

Oct 25
12:00 pm | Virtual

The HEMOTION trial: How do we integrate this new knowledge into our clinical practice?

Join the fourth Breakthroughs in blood: Advancements into action webinar as Dr. Alexis Turgeon-Fournier discusses Liberal or Restrictive Transfusion Strategy in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June 2024. The webinar will take place Friday

Transfusion

Oct 29
12:00 pm | Toronto/Virtual

Journal club: TBA

Presented by Dr. Phillipe Price Transfusion Medicine Physician Trainee University of Saskatchewan Learning objectives TBA 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

Transfusion

Recent R.E.D. blogs

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And the winner of the first Canadian Blood Services Dana Devine Award is…

Dr. Melika Loriamini! This new award, in honour of Dr. Dana Devine, supports early career scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies. It is awarded in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s at their annual conference. “I truly appreciate the Committee for the recognition and I'm so proud that I'm the first person to win the Dana Devine Award,” Dr. Loriamini says. “When I walked into the conference, I felt like I was famous because everyone knew who I was. It was a great feeling that all the work, all the

Post date: September 17, 2024

Transfusion

Celebrating young researchers: A look back at CBR Research Day 2024

Our partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is helping to train the next generation of researchers in transfusion science. This blog post highlights just some of the achievements in education, training or knowledge mobilization accomplished by CBR trainees. This is a repost of a blog written by CBR summer students Jackie Hagstrom, Mohammed Al-Seragi and Nastaran Davilu. It was edited by CBR Communications and Programs Coordinator Kaitlyn Chuong, and originally appeared on the CBR blog in September 2024. Each year, CBR’s Research Day

Post date: September 10, 2024

Transfusion

Canadian Blood Services discovery research lab contributes to new knowledge on neutrophils

Dr. Donald R. Branch’s work as a discovery scientist at Canadian Blood Services focuses on immunotherapy, seeking to further enhance understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in autoimmune diseases. Based in Toronto, Dr. Branch’s laboratory develops models of rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and multiple sclerosis in mice. These models are particularly useful in examining how cells affected by these conditions respond to current therapeutic agents like intravenous immunoglobulin – a blood product made from human plasma commonly

Post date: August 29, 2024

Transfusion