Most Clicked AABB SmartBrief Stories
1. Analysis: Antifibrinolytic reduces transfusions by a third
AABB SmartBrief | May 21, 2012
The administration of tranexamic acid as a clotting aid before planned surgery reduced the risk that a blood transfusion would be needed by about a third, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. After reviewing data from 129 clinical trials, researchers concluded that surgical patients should be made aware of the benefits of this antifibrinolytic. Telegraph (London), The (05/21)
2. Ruling favors nurse who refused to collect blood
AABB SmartBrief | May 21, 2012
U.S. Magistrate Judge James Hopkins ruled that sheriff's deputies in Palm Beach County, Fla., were wrong to handcuff a nurse who cited hospital policy in declining to collect blood from a drunken-driving suspect without a doctor's order. The ruling allows the Veterans Affairs nurse to seek damages in her lawsuit. Palm Beach Post (Fla.), The (05/21)
3. Canada approves stem cell treatment for GvHD in children
AABB SmartBrief | May 18, 2012
Health Canada approved the stem cell therapeutic Prochymal for acute graft-versus-host disease in children who do not respond to steroids. Prochymal has saved the lives of some pediatric patients and could contribute to more successful bone marrow transplants, according to Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, director of the Duke University Medical Center pediatric blood and marrow transplant program. "It's really a good day for the concept and the hope behind stem cell therapies becoming a reality," Osiris CEO C. Randal Mills said. New York Times (tiered subscription model), The (05/17) Reuters (05/17)
4. Doctors remove foot-long blood clot without open-heart surgery
AABB SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Cardiologists in Texas used a suction cannula to take a 12-inch blood clot from a woman's heart without resorting to open-heart surgery. Doctors said the clot originated as a deep vein thrombosis, and the patient will be treated with anticoagulants to prevent a recurrence of the condition. KXAS-TV (Dallas-Fort Worth) (05/22)
5. CDC: All baby boomers should be tested for hepatitis C
AABB SmartBrief | May 21, 2012
The CDC released new guidelines encouraging people born from 1945 to 1965 to get a one-time blood test for hepatitis C. According to the agency, 1 in 30 baby boomers has the disease, but only a fraction has been diagnosed. The additional testing could identify 800,000 new cases and prevent more than 120,000 deaths linked to the virus, CDC said. HealthDay News (05/18) Reuters (05/18)
6. N.Y. couple seeks transfusion-free care at N.J. NICU
AABB SmartBrief | May 18, 2012
A Bronx, N.Y., couple sent their premature baby to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey for transfusion-free treatment. For religious reasons, the couple did not want their daughter to receive a transfusion. The standard of care at the neonatal ICU at Englewood relies on epoetin alfa, iron dextran and multivitamins with folic acid and iron to treat anemia in newborns. Nurse.com (05/14)
7. Aspirin effective against venous thromboembolism
AABB SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
Aspirin can serve as an alternative to treatment with the anticoagulant warfarin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after a standard course of anticoagulant therapy, according to an Italian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Aspirin "may reduce recurrence of venous thromboembolism without increasing complications," according to the lead researcher. U.S. News & World Report (05/23)
8. ITxM, PSBC reach preliminary agreements with Creative Testing Solutions
AABB SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
Creative Testing Solutions has entered into agreements in principle with the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Puget Sound Blood Center to determine the feasibility of consolidating the organizations' donor testing laboratories. "Creative Testing Solutions was looking to partner with organizations that have a similar commitment to quality patient care, customer service and innovation, while at the same time focusing on disciplined cost control," said Sally Caglioti, president of CTS. Read the news release here. Blank (05/23)
9. 10 recommendations aim for more transparent clinical trial reports
AABB SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
A panel of pharmaceutical company representatives and medical journal editors published 10 guidelines for making industry-sponsored clinical research more transparent. The recommendations, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, include making all results public, disclosing potential conflicts of interest, ending ghostwriting and guest authorship, and providing access to more complete information on protocols. American Medical News (free content) (05/21)
10. Spinal injury patients gain motor control in stem cell trial
AABB SmartBrief | May 21, 2012
Injections of autologous stem cells derived from bone marrow fostered long-term healing of spinal cord injuries in a small clinical trial, according to a study in the journal Neurosurgery. Three out of 10 patients exhibited "continuous and gradual motor improvement," and three more showed detectable gains. The three patients who improved the most came into the trial with "residual neurological function," according to the researchers. LiveScience.com (05/17)
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