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Theme editorial: Automation in blood transfusion services
( ~ Pergamon
Transfus. Sci. Vol.16, No.3, pp. 203-204, 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd. Printedin Great Britain
Theme Editorial Automation in Blood Transfusion Services M. J. S e g h a t c h i a n , P h D
Adherence to "state of the art" procedure and technology in all aspects of transfusion medicine considerably contributed to rapid improvements in the safety of blood transfusion. Nowadays, apart from novel approaches to eliminating transfusion associated viruses and the implementation of various inactivation steps in manufacturing processes, the concept of "doing everything better" is pragmatically followed, despite the knowledge that the residual risk of transfusion associated infection may not be totally removed. In this respect the use of automated procedures securely linking the individual test results to the products and donor ID, and computerization of various transfusion activities, are amongst the key safety features in an integrated approach to total quality and traceability from donor to recipient. Recently, transfusion associated bacterial sepsis has become a focus of interest as the frequency of reporting became higher than the estimated risk for transfusion associated viral infection. Moreover, bacterial sepsis is not only a problem for allogeneic (homologous) blood but is also a potential problem for autologous blood transfusion, in particular in elective surgery patients who may have septic foci associated with the clinical conditions that necessitates their surgery. The concept of 100% automated bacteriological screening now becomes pertinent. Another area of transfusion medicine where automation and improvement in testing procedures may be important, is HLA histocompatibility; this is considered a major cause of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, occurring in 1/2000 to 1/5000 of all pregnancies. Accurate data on their clinical significance is needed. "Automated processing" is also becoming more challenging, requiring to balance the adequacy in quality on the basis of functional integrity, with the reduced risk of transfusion reaction and untoward effect. Statistical process control is needed to ensure that acceptable standards of performance are not only reliably achieved but are also maintained throughout large-scale processing. There has been worldwide interest in the integration of some of the laboratory and clinical services to reducing duplication with attendant cost reduction, but variability in standards. The U.K. centralization of transfusion activities at zonal and national levels is a good example where the implementation of a co-ordinated IT system should improve the management of both donor and blood supply alike. The implementation of new international standards for labelling and data management (ISBT-128) is another statutory step, with projected improvements in the safety of blood transfusion.
North London Blood Transfusion Centre, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5BG, U.K. 2O3
204
Transfus. Sci. Vol. 16, No. 3
Experts in relevant fields were invited to discuss current opinions, and future trends in the ever evolving fields of automation and computerization in transfusion science.
Transfus. Sci. Vol.16, No.3, pp. 203-204, 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd. Printedin Great Britain
Theme Editorial Automation in Blood Transfusion Services M. J. S e g h a t c h i a n , P h D
Adherence to "state of the art" procedure and technology in all aspects of transfusion medicine considerably contributed to rapid improvements in the safety of blood transfusion. Nowadays, apart from novel approaches to eliminating transfusion associated viruses and the implementation of various inactivation steps in manufacturing processes, the concept of "doing everything better" is pragmatically followed, despite the knowledge that the residual risk of transfusion associated infection may not be totally removed. In this respect the use of automated procedures securely linking the individual test results to the products and donor ID, and computerization of various transfusion activities, are amongst the key safety features in an integrated approach to total quality and traceability from donor to recipient. Recently, transfusion associated bacterial sepsis has become a focus of interest as the frequency of reporting became higher than the estimated risk for transfusion associated viral infection. Moreover, bacterial sepsis is not only a problem for allogeneic (homologous) blood but is also a potential problem for autologous blood transfusion, in particular in elective surgery patients who may have septic foci associated with the clinical conditions that necessitates their surgery. The concept of 100% automated bacteriological screening now becomes pertinent. Another area of transfusion medicine where automation and improvement in testing procedures may be important, is HLA histocompatibility; this is considered a major cause of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, occurring in 1/2000 to 1/5000 of all pregnancies. Accurate data on their clinical significance is needed. "Automated processing" is also becoming more challenging, requiring to balance the adequacy in quality on the basis of functional integrity, with the reduced risk of transfusion reaction and untoward effect. Statistical process control is needed to ensure that acceptable standards of performance are not only reliably achieved but are also maintained throughout large-scale processing. There has been worldwide interest in the integration of some of the laboratory and clinical services to reducing duplication with attendant cost reduction, but variability in standards. The U.K. centralization of transfusion activities at zonal and national levels is a good example where the implementation of a co-ordinated IT system should improve the management of both donor and blood supply alike. The implementation of new international standards for labelling and data management (ISBT-128) is another statutory step, with projected improvements in the safety of blood transfusion.
North London Blood Transfusion Centre, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5BG, U.K. 2O3
204
Transfus. Sci. Vol. 16, No. 3
Experts in relevant fields were invited to discuss current opinions, and future trends in the ever evolving fields of automation and computerization in transfusion science.