Blood Transfusion News and Research

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Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based products from one person into the circulatory system of another. Blood transfusions can be life-saving in some situations, such as massive blood loss due to trauma, or can be used to replace blood lost during surgery.

Robotic prostatectomy has low complication rates: CINJ study

According to a new study by The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), new evidence proves the safety of a robotic prostatectomy with the lowest complication rates in prostate cancer treatment. This comes as no surprise to Dr. David Samadi, Chief of the Division of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Urology at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, who has performed over 3,000 successful robotic prostate surgeries in the fight against prostate cancer.

18 Aug 2010

Researchers recommends robotic prostatectomy over traditional open surgery method

While sharp debate continues among medical professionals as to whether a radical prostatectomy performed with the assistance of a robotic device is more beneficial than the traditional open surgery method, research just published by investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows new evidence supporting the safety of the robotic procedure - including what is believed to be one of the lowest complication rates to date. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

6 Aug 2010

MOM Project increases access to maternal health care services for internally displaced woman

A community-based maternal health delivery strategy known as the MOM Project dramatically increased access to maternal health care services for internally displaced woman in eastern Burma, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Among the findings, the study showed a ten-fold increase in the proportion of women assisted at delivery by workers skilled in providing emergency obstetric care, including preventing and treating hemorrhage, injectable antibiotics and anticonvulsants, and community-based blood transfusion.

4 Aug 2010

Cerus second-quarter product revenue for INTERCEPT Blood System increases 47% to $5.7 million

Cerus Corporation today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

30 Jul 2010

Babesiosis disease on the rise in Lower Hudson Valley: NYS DOH

Babesiosis, a rare and occasionally fatal tick-borne disease caused by microscopic parasites known as Babesia which infect red blood cells, is on the rise in the Lower Hudson Valley according to the NYS DOH, including the counties of Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan and Rockland.

23 Jul 2010

AUGIB patients more likely to suffer further bleeding with early red blood cell transfusion

Doctors have called for an urgent review of transfusion policies after a UK-wide study of over 200 hospitals found that patients admitted with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) are more than twice as likely to suffer further bleeding if they receive a red blood cell transfusion within 12 hours.

7 Jul 2010

EU requirement for HIV, hepatitis screening of ART couples at each donation unnecessary, distressing

European legislation that requires all couples undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART) to be screened for HIV and hepatitis at the time of every sperm or egg donation is unnecessary, expensive, and potentially distressing for patients, the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard Monday.

2 Jul 2010

Virus related to hepatitis C discovered in Asian bats

Viral hepatitis affects more than 500 million people worldwide and is a cause of liver failure and liver cancer. While vaccines are available for hepatitis A and B, this is not the case for hepatitis C, which affects as much as two percent of the population in the U.S. Scientists today are reporting discovery of a virus related to hepatitis C in Asian bats, which may provide insights into the origins of the hepatitis C virus and into the mechanisms by which infectious diseases move from other species to humans.

2 Jul 2010

Repeated viral screening for ART patients unnecessary with each donation

30 Jun 2010

OrSense presents NBM 200 non-invasive Hb measurement system at XXXIst International Congress of ISBT

OrSense Ltd., developer of monitors for non-invasive measurements of various blood parameters, announced today at the XXXIst International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), in Berlin, Germany, the presentation of NBM 200, a non-invasive hemoglobin (Hb) measurement system for various hematological applications including anemia monitoring, hemorrhage detection and pre-donation screening.

29 Jun 2010

Merck proposes to initiate Phase II proof-of-concept clinical study of posaconazole for chronic Chagas disease

Merck today announced plans to initiate a Phase II investigational proof-of-concept clinical study to evaluate its oral antifungal agent posaconazole for the treatment of chronic Chagas disease. Chagas disease results from infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that is spread by biting insects. The disease is estimated to affect approximately eight million people in Latin America, of whom approximately 30-40 percent will develop serious cardiac disease, digestive disease, or both as a result of this infection.

24 Jun 2010

Masimo announces limited market release of Pronto-7 handheld hemoglobin spot-check testing device

Masimo, the inventor of Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced the international limited market release of Masimo Pronto-7 -- a new handheld device designed for quick and easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing in virtually any environment.

23 Jun 2010

NHLBI funds nine research grants to determine safety and efficacy of red blood cell transfusions

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding nine research grants to determine if the safety and efficacy of red blood cell transfusions vary depending on how long the cells have been stored. One of the grants supports the first large, multi-center, randomized clinical trial to compare outcomes in heart surgery patients who receive transfusions of red blood cells that have been stored for shorter or longer amounts of time.

22 Jun 2010

New independent study demonstrates clinical accuracy of Masimo noninvasive and continuous hemoglobin monitoring

Masimo, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry™ and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today that a new independent study demonstrating the clinical accuracy of Masimo noninvasive and continuous hemoglobin (SpHb) monitoring was presented this week at the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) Annual Congress in Helsinki, Finland.

16 Jun 2010

WHO calls for more blood donations worldwide

Seventy-seven countries do not have a blood donation rate high enough to meet "the basic needs for blood transfusions," the Associated Press reports. The WHO released new global data on blood donation for World Blood Donor Day on June 14. "[H]alf of the global blood donations are collected in developed nations, home to only 16 percent of the world's population," according to the AP (6/11).

15 Jun 2010

People under 25 contribute 38% of voluntary blood donations

People under the age of 25 contribute an estimated 38% of reported voluntary blood donations, according to new global data from the WHO, released on World Blood Donor Day, 14 June.

14 Jun 2010

Genetic variation can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment: Scientists

A small genetic change can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment, paving the way to personalised therapy for this difficult to treat disease, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Sunday 13 June). Dr. Zoltan Kutalik, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will tell delegates that individuals with this change, in a gene encoding for the antiviral cytokine (cell-signalling molecule) interferon lamda, reacts less well to treatment.

14 Jun 2010

Healthcare facilities lack appropriate equipment, supplies to manage emergency situations: Report

Healthcare facilities sometimes lack the appropriate equipment and supplies to successfully manage an emergency in their facility in a timely manner, according to data released today by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and published in the June Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory.

2 Jun 2010

Lyophilized heparin demonstrates better ability to preserve cord blood stem cells than CPD: Study

Lyophilized heparin, a proprietary anticoagulant developed specifically for cord blood collection, demonstrated a better ability to preserve the number of viable cells over a longer period of time than a commonly-used anticoagulant, citrate phosphate dextrose, according to a study presented today at the International Society for Cellular Therapy Annual Meeting.

26 May 2010

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

The 63rd World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization's Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

24 May 2010