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2006
started on a controversial note for WPBTS and the SANBS (SA National
Blood Service), due to our policy of deferring male donors who have
had sex with other men from donating blood for 5 years. This policy
will be discussed further at the next National Blood Committee meeting,
and with interested credible gay representative groups, in the hope
of reaching agreement on an acceptable way forward. We maintain,
however, that the safety of the blood supply remains our focus -
as evidenced by our commitment to using the latest technologies
in infectious marker testing to reduce the window period of transfusion
transmissible disease. However, testing is only one aspect of keeping
the blood supply as safe as possible, and our other strategies are
continually revisited in the context of continuing changes in the
donor community and the broader SA population.
Implementation "Fred"
arrived on 27 June and "Ginger" 22 August 2005. However,
planning for their arrival was arranged and discussed many months
prior. Although it was the Virology laboratory that received the
new instruments, the implementation of NAT affected many departments
within the Blood Transfusion Service. To equip and resource all
the affected laboratories and departments took many strategic/planning
meetings and informational/training sessions. Operational issues Among the many changes brought about as a direct result of NAT was that samples had to be collected from donors in such a way as to reduce the risk of contamination. During informational / training sessions, Clinic staff were taught how to collect blood samples from donors. Fortunately,
new blood packs are now available which has made this task much
easier for the Clinic staff. International Interest South
Africa serves as the single biggest number of installations of Tigris
instruments in one country - 8 instruments: 4 at SANBS-Inland, 2
at SANBS - ECR and 2 at WPBTS. And because we have decided to go
the Individual Donor Testing (IDT) route, all eyes are upon us!
Also, compared to some overseas countries, the volumes we process,
in terms of donor samples, far exceeds theirs. Therefore at the
end of the day, our statistics are of utmost importance to quite
a few researches out there.
Product Profile : Platelets
Platelet
transfusions are required in a number of conditions to control bleeding
episodes. The decision to transfuse should be based on a combination
of clinical and laboratory findings rather than on empirical platelet
levels. Response to platelet transfusions should be judged on clinical
improvement, normalisation of bleeding time, and relative increase
in circulating platelet count. Significant increases may not occur
in the actively bleeding patient due to rapid utilisation.
Deferral of male donors who have practised male-to-male sex (msm): In line with international standards of best-practise and based on a number of international research studies, WP Blood Transfusion Service requests male donors who have had sex with other males (whether anal or oral) during the preceding five years, to defer themselves from donating blood. There has been significant evidence in many research studies suggesting an increased risk of HIV transmission within communities practising male-to-male sex. This requirement is practised as part of a multi-layered programme of risk management aimed at identifying behaviour which increases transfusion risk. Its purpose is not to discriminate against any individual with a particular sexual orientation. Even though all donations are individually tested there is still a small window period during which the virus cannot be detected (10-14days) Please
click here for further information. (Blood safety booklet/risk management
policy/research studies/press release)
Autologous/Designated Donation
We
offer an Autologous and Designated blood donation service at selected
sites throughout the W Cape. We have recently devised a Clinicians
referral pack for donor's whishing to pre-deposit units for upcoming
surgery. Please follow the link to a printable
PDF referral form.
Background Blood banking in the Western Cape is constantly changing with the advent of technological support and these changes are especially being felt in the areas of production, testing and billing. Blood banking today is fast evolving: it aims to manufacture quality products, optimize distribution and merge these processes into a controlled business environment where real-time transactions can be accommodated. The responsibility of blood banking will, however, always stand as retaining the safe and efficient distribution of blood to health care service providers and ultimately, patients.
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Product
Profile : Platelets |
