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

Canadian Recipient Hemovigilance Renewal

Access the Canadian Recipient Hemovigilance System Renewal Process Recommendations paper, shared with the transfusion community to support transparency and broad awareness of the engagement outcomes.

Summary of adverse transfusion reactions 2021-2026

According to Blood Regulations, hospitals are required to report adverse transfusion reactions following a transfusion to Canadian Blood Services if the reaction is thought to be caused by a blood component deficiency affecting its safety, and is attributable to a regulated activity at Canadian Blood Services (e.g., donor selection, blood collection, manufacturing).

Uniform labelling

Canadian Blood Services, in collaboration with Héma-Québec, developed The Canadian Guidelines for the Uniform Labelling of Blood and Blood Components Using ISBT 128 to assist with the use of ISBT 128 labelling for Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec. This document describes the standard policies adopted for use by Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec and is intended to be used in conjunction with the ISBT 128 Standard: Technical Specification.

Latest updates from the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products (as of October 14, 2026)

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Upcoming events

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Nov 2
7:00 pm | Virtual

WEBINAR: Blood Safety

The Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplasia Association of Canada (AAMAC) and Thalassemia Foundation of Canada, with support from Canadian Blood Services, are hosting a webinar this fall focused on blood safety for the patient community. This session is especially relevant for people who have been recently

Transfusion

Nov 3
12:00 pm | Toronto/Virtual

Topic: Highlights from the Canadian Transfusion Trials Group

Presented by Dr. Donald Arnold McMaster University Learning objectives TBA Registration Click Here to Register Appraisal TBA To be added to the distribution list for the LearnTransfusion series, send an email to learn.transfusion@blood.ca with “Weekly Transfusion Medicine Seminars” in the subject

Transfusion

Nov 10
8:00 am | Rome, Italy

State of the Science in Resuscitation for Severe Traumatic Bleeding

The Italian National Blood Centre, in collaboration with the Trauma Haemostasis and Oxygenation Research Network, is organising the International Scientific Conference: “State of the Science in Resuscitation Medicine for Severe Traumatic Bleeding: Clinical, Logistical, and Regulatory Insights with a

Transfusion

Recent R.E.D. blogs

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Celebrating Dr. Jason Acker’s election to the Royal Society of Canada

Canadian Blood Services congratulates Dr. Jason Acker on his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, one of the highest honours for scholars, artists, and scientists in Canada.   Election to the Royal Society of Canada recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to knowledge and innovation in their fields. Fellows are nominated and elected by their peers in recognition of their achievements.   At Canadian Blood Services, Dr. Acker is a Senior development scientist, and leads research focused on improving how blood products are manufactured, stored, and used. As

Post date: October 1, 2026

Transplantation

Organs and tissues

Plasma

Stem cells

Transfusion

Blood

Thinking, making and asking better questions: A conversation with Dr. Zimring

This post was written by Kerryn Matthews, a research associate in Dr. Zimring’s lab located in the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia (UBC). It originally appeared in May 2026 on the Centre for Blood Research website and has been reposted with permission. The Centre for Blood Research recently spoke with Dr. James (Jim) C. Zimring, the new Chief Science Officer at Canadian Blood Services and Principal Investigator at the Centre for Blood Research. Known for his curiosity-driven approach to science, Jim’s work spans fundamental immunology, transfusion biology, and

Post date: July 14, 2026

Transfusion

Blood

Canadian Blood Services’ research expertise featured in first-of-its-kind AABB book

The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to transfusion medicine and biotherapies.Recently, AABB released a new publication, Research Design in Transfusion Medicine, that brings together many contributors to describe a wide range of research approaches applied in transfusion medicine (TM). The book includes a special focus on qualitative methodologies that have historically been underrepresented in the field. This book was the brainchild of Dr. Quentin Eichbaum, Vice Chair and Professor of Transfusion Medicine and

Post date: July 7, 2026

Transfusion

Blood