The National Blood Transfusion Service is evaluating the possibility of introducing smaller blood bags to reduce blood wastage.
The medical director of the NBTS, Alex Aquilina, said when contacted by The Malta Independent that since at the moment only one size bags holding around 200 millilitres of blood are available, in cases when fewer than 200 milliliters of blood are required, the extra blood goes to waste because once a bag is opened it cannot be resealed.
Babies, for example, need no more than 30 to 50 milliliters of blood at each transfusion, depending on their condition and needs, explained Dr Aquilina. The Special Care Babies Unit uses from one to two bags of blood every other day, he went on.
It is not just at the SCBU that there is a level of blood wastage but also in other hospital departments, he said.
The NBTS is evaluating the possibility of using 200 millilitre bags that are split into two sections each holding 100 milliliters. These can be used separately when less blood is required.
This initiative would put donors’ mind at rest, knowing that the bank is doing its utmost to use each drop of blood well.
Developing and choosing the right bag for blood donations requires a lengthy and laborious process to make sure it is of the highest standards. Dr Aquilina compared it to the process of developing a new medicine. It may take long but at least something is done to save blood, thus saving more lives. The validation process may take up to three months, he said.
Also, the cost effectiveness needs to be considered, explained Dr Aquilina. One has to reorganise the blood production setup and this may not be economically viable to produce a small volume bag a day for example, he went on. Smaller volume bags are readily available abroad but are not necessarily viable for Malta, he said.
Blood donations are needed every day to supply the hospital with around 70 bags of blood daily. A large number of people depends on the continued generosity of others who are healthy. A normal donation, consists of one unit of blood or 450 milliliters while average adults have about fives litres in their body. The human body replenishes the blood loss naturally; there is no substitute for human blood.
Each donated blood unit is scrupulously monitored and processed to produce products from the red cells and platelets whereby red cells have to be used within 42 days and platelets must be used within five days of collection.
One or two serious accidents are often enough to drain the bank’s blood stocks. Maltese blood donors are enough to cater for local requests. Unfortunately, over 230,000 people in Malta can donate blood but barely five per cent do so.
Last May The Malta Independent reported that NBTS is in the process of building a new blood bank that will not include a donation centre but will consist of the testing, processing, and distribution centre for all the Maltese islands.
Dr Aquilina pointed out that the blood donation centre situated close to St Luke’s Hospital, which was inaugurated in May, 2007 will remain the main donation centre.
The blood transfusion unit can be contacted on 7930-7307 or 2206-6209. People can also access the website www.blood.gov.mt for more information.
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