37th annual Immunohematology & Blood Bank Symposium
The NIH Clinical Center Department of Transfusion Medicine and the American Red Cross co-hosted the 37th annual Immunohematology & Blood Bank Symposium Sept. 11. Over 150 people gathered in Masur Auditorium to learn about recent developments, current practices, controversies and laboratory management issues relative to transfusion medicine.
Dr. Karen King of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions was awarded, posthumously, the Richard J. Davey Lectureship Award. This award recognizes an individual whose contributions have significantly advanced the field of transfusion medicine. Her husband Porter Siems received the award from Dr. Paul M. Ness of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions who gave a brief yet heart-felt tribute to King.
Topics discussed during the symposium included uses of group A plasma, storage temperature of platelets, red blood cell use in cardiac disease, and extracorporeal photopheresis. Three clinical vignettes were presented as well with focus on clinical practices and patient safety.
8th annual Red Cell Genotyping Symposium
The NIH Clinical Center Department of Transfusion Medicine with Versiti and its BloodCenter of Wisconsin, co-hosted the 8th annual Red Cell Genotyping Symposium Sept. 12 in the Natcher Auditorium. The symposium, titled “Patient Care”, attracted more than 100 people and reviewed the risks of red cell alloimmunization and emerging applications of molecular matching to enhance patient safety.
Dr. Willy Flegel, chief of the Laboratory Services Section of the Department of Transfusion Medicine, served as one of the moderators and introduced Chris Miskel, president and CEO of Versiti, who discussed the current state of the U.S. blood supply. The presented topics were patient care focused and included several talks about strategies to avoid red cell alloimmunization and clinical vignettes to illustrate patient care management utilizing genotyping results.
