Blood bank watchword: Better coordination

Task force calls for accurate reporting on the need for blood during a crisis, as well as the promotion of regular donations by the public.

By Susan J. Landers, amednews staff. March 18, 2002.

Washington -- There were many health lessons to be learned after Sept. 11, 2001; among them: How to better organize the nation's blood donation system to avoid the confusion and disruption that was evident after the terrorist attacks.

With that end in mind, the nation's major blood banks formed a task force and developed a plan, recently endorsed by the federal government, that is intended to ensure a smoother, better-coordinated response to any future disasters, whether man-made or natural.

"The task force is committed to ensuring that future blood collection efforts run smoothly and are managed properly, with the public receiving clear and consistent messages regarding the status of America's blood supply," said Karen Shoos Lipton, chief executive officer of the American Assn. of Blood Banks. "The best preparation for the next disaster is to ensure that we have adequate blood inventories on our shelves every day in all locations of the country."

In the event of a disaster, the task force has set the first priorities as verifying and communicating to the blood community the medical need for blood, identifying sites with a large inventory of blood and determining the need, if any, for blood to be shipped.

The task force, led by AABB, a professional association of about 2,000 institutions and 8,000 individuals involved in transfusion medicine, would also develop public messages on the need for donors and facilitate the discussion of donor issues.

In the wake of last fall's terrorist attacks, the major blood banks sent conflicting messages on the need for blood. Some called for more donations while others said they had a sufficient supply.

50,000 units of blood donated after Sept. 11th attacks had to be destroyed.

The desire to take some helpful action prompted a huge surge in the number of donors. More blood was donated than could be used. Groups like the American Red Cross began reporting an eight-day supply of blood when just weeks earlier the group had spoken of a serious blood shortage. Ultimately, about 50,000 units of blood surpassed their 42-day shelf life and had to be destroyed.

Thus, last December, AABB convened a task force that included The American Red Cross, Blood Centers of America, the Armed Services Blood Program Office, and federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Dept. of Health and Human Services. The goal was to improve the overall system's operation and integrate the lessons learned from this experience.

Looking ahead

The group dubbed itself the Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism and developed several recommendations that were recently endorsed by HHS's Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability.

Among the recommendations:

The actual medical need for blood should drive all subsequent decisions and actions in responding to acts of terrorism.
The blood community should avoid creating supply in excess of need at the local blood centers.
The blood community's response to domestic disasters and acts of terrorism should be effectively coordinated with all stakeholders.
Transportation mechanisms for blood units, test samples, supplies and reagents, including alternate and redundant capabilities, should be identified and communicated to the blood community in preparation for future disasters.
There should be a plan to assess the collection, processing and testing supply needs of blood facilities, and this plan should be integrated with communication channels identified in the blood disaster plan.
Any revisions, interim or permanent, to existing regulatory requirements relating to donor suitability, collection, testing and release of supplies and/or reagents should be based solely on actual medical needs.

The federal advisory committee urged HHS to promote a single, consistent message on blood issues and to fund programs that monitor blood availability and shortages.

The committee also recommended that the agency step up its promotion of blood donation as a national service that would enable the nation to maintain enough "blood on the shelf."

A sufficient and consistent supply of blood would be a welcome change from the fluctuating supplies of recent years even when disasters aren't in the picture.