Screening for Babesia microti Decreases the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Infections Babesia microti is a tick-borne pathogen responsible for babesiosis—a malaria-like hemolytic disease. Currently, there is not a licensed screening test… December 14, 2016
Crizanlizumab May Help Sickle Cell Patients Prevent Pain Crises Vaso-occlusive crisis—sickle cell pain related crisis—is the primary cause for hospital visits for sickle cell patients. Although the etiology of… December 7, 2016
RAND Study Highlights Challenges Facing the US Blood Supply The RAND Corporation conducted a study examining the United States’ blood supply system. Data was collected from interviews with 9… November 30, 2016
Drones Capable of Delivering Blood Products Drones—small pilotless aircrafts—are capable of delivering packages cheaply and are not limited to passable roads or constrained by traffic. Rwanda… November 22, 2016
Mutating Haematopoietic Stem Cells May Cure Sickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disease and β-thalassaemia are caused by mutations in the β -globin gene. Previous studies have shown that transplants… November 16, 2016
Laboratory Testing is Suggested Before Intravenous Immunoglobulin is Given to Neonates Although intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) use is documented to treat a wide range of severe disorders in adults, IVIG use in… November 9, 2016
Blood Donation Intervals Should Be Extended to 180 Days To Avoid Iron Deficiency Most blood collection agencies require a 56-day minimum interval between donations of whole blood to allow hemoglobin levels to return… November 2, 2016
Standard Issue RBCs are Equivalent to Fresh RBCs for Transfusion Results of the Informing Fresh versus Old Red Cell Management (INFORM) trial have recently been presented at the AABB annual… October 27, 2016
Massive Transfusion Protocols Vary Among U.S. Hospitals Over the past several years, clinical studies have shown that blood transfused early and quickly can reduce mortality in severe… October 19, 2016
New AABB Guidelines for Red Blood Cell Storage and Transfusion Thresholds The AABB has recently published updated guidelines for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion thresholds and the optimal length of storage…. October 13, 2016
