Blood transfusion service in Poland in 2014

Abstract

Background: In this study we evaluated the basic aspects of the activity of the Polish Blood Transfusion Service in 2014.

Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of the 2014-data supplied by the Regional Blood Centers.

Results: In 2014, blood and blood components were collected in 21 Polish Regional Blood Centers and 137 local collection sites as well as during 12 579 mobile collections. The overall number of blood donors was estimated at 590 561, the majority of which were non-remunerated donors (589 766 — including 45 812 responders to donation appeals), as well as 135 remunerated donors and 660 autologous donors. Most frequent were whole blood collections (1 132 702) and least frequent-apheresis granulocyte collections (107 procedures) and RBCs collections (156 procedures). Whole blood donations were performed in local collection sites (46.45%), in Regional Blood Centers (27.0%) and mobile collection sites (26.55%). Most frequently prepared blood components were red blood cell concentrates (RBCs — 1 123 459) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP — 1 242 942 FFP units, 25.44% for clinical use). Platelet concentrates (PCs) amounted to 47 006 units from apheresis and 78 354 whole blood-derived. Additional processing methods (leukocyte depletion, irradiation) were more frequently applied to PCs (33.95% leukocyte-depleted, 3.45% irradiated, 55.28% both leukocyte-depleted and irradiated) than to RBCs (14.93% leukocyte-depleted, 0.17% irradiated, 6.35% both leukocyte-depleted and irradiated). The percentage of PCs (12.06%) and FFP (8.74% units) issued for transfusion were subjected to pathogen reduction technologies.

Conclusions: Our study data may contribute to the assessment of the tendencies observed in Polish blood centers and may serve practical-benchmarking. This in turn may prove beneficial to the transfusion community as a whole.