Hospital Newsletter
Events and updates
CSTM 2021: "Surfing the Waves of Change"
May 13-15, 2021 | Virtual Conference
2021 Virtual Norman Bethune Symposium
May 18, 2021 | 8:00AM to 4:00PM (EDT) | Virtual Symposium
Alberta Vein to Vein Conference
May 29, 2021 | Virtual Conference
Canadian Blood Services platelet bacterial testing and reporting to hospital customers
Canadian Blood Services platelet bacterial testing and reporting to hospital customers (PDF)
Canadian Blood Services issued a document describing the steps taken after an initial positive bacterial culture has occurred. This was announced in customer letter 2021-16, Follow-up of Canadian Blood Services Platelet Bacterial Testing Results, and the attachment. The document is also posted on the professional education website.
If bacteria screening test culture becomes positive after a platelet unit is issued (“initial-positive” bacterial culture), the affected hospital will be notified, and all blood products associated with that collection will be recalled. If the recalled unit was already transfused, it is recommended that hospitals review the patient’s clinical status and health record for any evidence of possible bacterial transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI). If bacterial TTI is suspected, it should be reported to Canadian Blood Services.
Following an “initial-positive” bacterial culture, Canadian Blood Services will conduct additional testing of the positive platelet culture, the original component and companion components if available. If the same bacteria is detected in at least one other sample from the associated collection, that platelet unit that is “initial positive” is considered “confirmed-positive.” Between August 2017 and December 2019, 0.09% buffy coat pools and 0.04% apheresis platelet units issued to hospitals were identified as “confirmed-positive” culture.1
The timeline for this additional testing may extend to several weeks after the product recall. Although additional testing results are not intended for patient clinical management, Canadian Blood Services will report results of follow-up Gram stain and bacterial identification for all associated transfused units to hospitals as soon as they are available.
In addition, the current forms in use to provide information about additional testing are being revised.
Reference
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Ramirez-Arcos et al. Extension of platelet shelf-life with an improved bacterial testing algorithm. Transfusion. 2020; 60 (12): 2918-2928.
To read more articles, please visit the BloodNotes section of blood.ca.
Few potential stem cell donors are Black. She’s working to change that
Few potential stem cell donors are Black. She’s working to change that (PDF)
Sylvia Okonofua, a recent biochemistry graduate from Regina, Sask. is leading a virtual campaign to recruit Black Canadians to Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry.
Sylvia is the president of the University of Regina’s chapter of Stem Cell Club, a volunteer team she founded as a first-year student in 2016. The club recruits young people across Canada to Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry, which accepts potential donors between the ages of 17 and 35.
But Sylvia and the other volunteers aren’t just focused on youth. They’re also on a mission to increase the diversity of prospective donors. A patient has a much better chance of finding a match for a lifesaving stem cell transplant in a donor whose ancestral background resembles their own. And it didn’t take Sylvia long to discover that the registry is made up of very few registrants from diverse backgrounds, including those who are Black. In fact, as of January 2021, Black people made up fewer than two per cent of registrants.
“As a Black woman, it was really heartbreaking to see,” says Sylvia. “It was really frustrating to know that a patient from my community is so much less likely than other patients to be helped.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on stem cell transplantation. Most Canadian patients depend on international stem cell donors, but border closures and travel restrictions related to COVID-19 have meant that patients and transplant centres now rely more on donors from Canada. The pandemic has also made it more difficult to recruit new potential donors to Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry. That’s because in-person community swabbing events to recruit potential donors are suspended to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.
That’s why Sylvia and her volunteers have gone virtual to sign up diverse new recruits. They are ramping up efforts to build their library of stories called Why We Swab on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and hoping to encourage more Canadians to sign up online and receive a swab kit in the mail.
To read more articles, please visit the BloodNotes section of blood.ca.
New federal funding to support cancer cell therapy research
New federal funding to support cancer cell therapy research (PDF)
In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more than $518 million in research infrastructure support through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). One of the 102 project recipients was ExCELLirate Canada, a group of institutions and researchers which includes Canadian Blood Services.
ExCELLirate Canada is led by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) at Queen’s University, which designs and administers clinical trials in cancer therapy, supportive care and prevention across Canada. The new funding will be used to develop a national research platform for new cancer cell therapies.
Among ExCELLirate Canada’s partners and renowned leaders are researchers committed to accelerating the adoption of cell therapies for cancer in Canada.
“Canadian Blood Services is proud to be participating in this exciting initiative to develop lifesaving cellular therapies for Canadian patients,” says Dr. Heidi Elmoazzen, a member of the group and director, stem cells at Canadian Blood Services. “As an organization, we are uniquely positioned to leverage our safe handling of cell products, supply chain and distribution across Canada to successfully deliver all research objectives.”
With this grant, ExCELLirate Canada aims to develop the infrastructure for a national cellular therapy research platform with a focus on Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell technology. CAR T-cell therapy has been successfully used to treat children and adults with some types of leukemia and lymphoma, and there is growing evidence that engineered immune cells have the potential to treat more types of cancer.
“Cell therapies are demonstrating meaningful and lifesaving remissions for some people in whom chemotherapy and stem cell transplants have not worked,” says Dr. Annette Hay, project co-lead and Senior Investigator at CCTG. But there are barriers to these treatments, including cost. Through research, the group hopes to address the challenges that prevent this lifesaving therapy from being used to its full potential.
ExCELLirate Canada will also develop Canadian capacity to manufacture innovative “made in Canada” cell therapies in health care settings, so they can be tested, improved and used to benefit Canadians.
“Our experience in ensuring compliance to the Health Canada regulations is invaluable to the cellular therapy community in Canada,” says Dr. Elmoazzen. “That’s why both our Centre for Innovation and stem cell program will be involved in this new project.”
To read more articles, please visit the BloodNotes section of blood.ca.
Nova Scotia's presumed consent organ donation law now in effect
Nova Scotia's presumed consent organ donation law now in effect (PDF)
In January 2021, a new law that changes the way organ and tissue donation is approved in Novia Scotia came into effect. Under the Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act, all people in Nova Scotia will be considered potential organ donors unless they opt out.
Previously, people who wanted to donate their organs had to opt into the province's organ donation program through the Nova Scotia Health Authority. However, this new law makes it possible for more Nova Scotians to donate their organs and tissues, and it will help Nova Scotians waiting for a transplant, obtain one sooner by increasing organ and tissue donation. This will have an impact on many lives since one donor could save or improve the lives of over 80 people.
Donated organs such as heart, liver, kidney and lungs save the lives of those who need them. Donated tissues such as skin, bone, tendons, heart valves and corneas can restore sight and mobility, help people recover from cancer surgery and save the lives of burn patients and those who are critically ill with heart disease.
As of 18 January 2021, Nova Scotians that don't register their donation decision and are eligible, will be seen as having consented to organ and tissue donation after their death. This is called “deemed consent” under the new Act.
Canadian Blood Services works with the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (OTDT) community to improve national system performance. Canadian Blood Services also manages clinical programs that support interprovincial sharing of organs, and collaborates with organ donation organizations and transplantation programs across Canada to increase organ and tissue donation, increase access to transplants and improve patient outcomes.
To read more articles, please visit the BloodNotes section of blood.ca.