Changes in blood center red blood cell distributions in the era of patient blood management: the trends for collection (TFC) study.

This study is about the modification of red blood cell (RBC) distribution of blood centres after the introduction of patient blood management (PBM). The reduction of blood transfused in recent years has had an impact on planning blood collection drives, production of blood components (e.g. RBCs, platelets and FFP), and supply of blood. Generally, stocks decreased over time but the availability of special ABO and Rhesus blood groups remains a matter of debate.

The Trends for Collection (TFC) study analyses data of 7 American and 8  national or provincial blood services all over the world over a 5-year period with respect to RBC donation and distribution. The authors report that overall RBC distribution decreased over time while the proportion of O units increased substantially. Substitution of O RBCs for A, B or AB recipients can ease the logistics of hospital transfusion services but burdens the blood collectors by requiring them to collect disproportionally more RBCs from O donors. However, this is limited by the ABO blood group distribution of the population.

– Rainer Moog