Transfusion medicine

Canadian Blood Services supports best practices in transfusion medicine through the development of educational resources. Written by subject-matter experts from across Canada, our transfusion medicine resources support clinical practice and help health-care professionals stay current in an ever-changing field.

If you are a health-care professional working in transfusion medicine and have a comment or suggestions for new resources, please get in touch.

Aditi Khandelwal
Transfusion Medicine Specialist and Hematologist

Surveillance report

We are pleased to present this annual report describing transmissible blood-borne infection surveillance. High quality and timely surveillance is central to the safety of the blood supply. This includes monitoring of transmissible disease markers that the blood is tested for (including bacteria) and investigation of any reports of possible transfusion transmission, as well as a horizon scan for any new pathogens that may pose a risk.

Informed consent for blood transfusion

New interactive online modules support health-care professionals in understanding the basics of informed consent, including how to obtain an informed consent for transfusion of blood products and components, risks and alternatives.

Red cell antigen genotyping reports

Canadian Blood Services performs extended red cell antigen genotyping at the National Immunohematology Reference Laboratory (NIRL) using Grifols’ ID CORE XT assay. A new course (published January 2024) on interpreting these genotyping reports is now available. The course supports healthcare providers in understanding components of the red cell antigen genotyping report and the significance of the results.

Latest updates from the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products (as of October 28, 2024)

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Upcoming events

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Nov 21
1:00 pm | Virtual

Webinar for patients on iron overload and monitoring

The Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) has made a pivotal move to enhance the care and awareness of haemoglobin disorders in the Americas by launching the Pan American Network for Haemoglobin Disorders (PANHD). This initiative aims to establish a comprehensive and unified platform that

Transfusion

Nov 28
12:00 pm | Virtual

Canadian Blood Services –Blood shortages: Management and Prevention

Presented by Dr. Tanya Petraszko Learning objectives TBD Registration Registration is required for this event. To receive registration details for upcoming U of T Transfusion Medicine Rounds directly, join the U of T Transfusion Medicine mailing list via Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network

Transfusion

Nov 29
10:00 am | Virtual

14th Annual Blood Matters 2024

The 14th Annual Blood Matters 2024 conference is being offered virtually on Friday, November 29, 2024 from 10:00am to 3:00pm AT. This free, transfusion-focused education day is hosted by the Nova Scotia Provincial Blood Coordinating Team. Learning objectives After participating in this session

Transfusion

Recent R.E.D. blogs

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Perseverance and collaboration: How a new clinical trial aims to determine whether sex matters when matching blood products to patients

As the Principal Investigator for the SexMatters trial described in this blog, Dr. Mickey Zeller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University. She is also a Medical Officer at Canadian Blood Services. Around 2018, Dr. Mickey Zeller's grandmother asked her a question that she couldn’t fully answer at the time. It’s a question that Dr. Zeller continues to keep top-of-mind in her roles as an Associate Professor at McMaster University and a Medical Officer at Canadian Blood Services. Having sustained a pelvic fracture at the age of 94, she asked her granddaughter

Post date: October 31, 2024

Transfusion

And the winner of the first Canadian Blood Services Dana Devine Award is…

Dr. Melika Loriamini! This new award, in honour of Dr. Dana Devine, supports early career scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies. It is awarded in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s at their annual conference. “I truly appreciate the Committee for the recognition and I'm so proud that I'm the first person to win the Dana Devine Award,” Dr. Loriamini says. “When I walked into the conference, I felt like I was famous because everyone knew who I was. It was a great feeling that all the work, all the

Post date: September 17, 2024

Transfusion

Celebrating young researchers: A look back at CBR Research Day 2024

Our partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is helping to train the next generation of researchers in transfusion science. This blog post highlights just some of the achievements in education, training or knowledge mobilization accomplished by CBR trainees. This is a repost of a blog written by CBR summer students Jackie Hagstrom, Mohammed Al-Seragi and Nastaran Davilu. It was edited by CBR Communications and Programs Coordinator Kaitlyn Chuong, and originally appeared on the CBR blog in September 2024. Each year, CBR’s Research Day

Post date: September 10, 2024

Transfusion