Blood challenges in China

Brian Concannon, president & CEO of Haemonetics, a blood management company in the US.

China continues to face significant blood shortages. While there has been some progress in blood collection and supply service in recent years ─ to the point where the country can basically satisfy its clinical blood needs ─ a short supply is still a problem in some regions, according to blood supply management experts from the US.

The shortage can be attributed to the rapid rise in the demand for clinical blood; a weak donor base for non-remunerated blood donation and the short blood supply in regions with a high concentration of medical establishments, said Brian Concannon, president & CEO of Haemonetics, a blood management company in the US.

Haemonetics China, set up in 1999, first entered the plasma market with automated blood collection devices for use in plasma centers. With demand for machine-collected platelets constantly rising in China, Haemonetics' blood cell separators, which specialize in collecting platelets, have been installed in over 300 blood collection centers throughout the country. Since 2011, Haemonetics products and services have been rapidly adopted by approximately 1,000 hospitals and blood collection and supply organizations in China.

Haemonetics is working with many hospitals in China to accelerate the adoption of blood management. In anticipation of this market shift, some hospitals have already implemented comprehensive blood management measures, including setting up a transfusion management committee; establishing a three-level clinical transfusion management system for the Medical Affairs Division and the Transfusion Department; setting up a blood management team to engage in cross-department collaboration among surgery, anesthesiology, extracorporeal circulation and ICU departments through a coordinator.

Furthermore, during the perioperative period, Haemonetics' hemostasis analyzer system (TEG) is being used to determine blood coagulation function. During surgery, the TEG device is being used to guide the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal bleeding and coagulation. Meanwhile, the blood salvage technique is applied to all patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperatively, the TEG is being utilized to guide diagnosis and treatment; to tightly monitor the second thoracotomy and transfusion triggers and initiate blood salvage at the earliest stage.

Blood utilization and further adoption of Haemonetics blood management solutions will be a key focus for Haemonetics China going forward.