Activities of hospital-based blood transfusion service in the Czech Republic in 2008

Overview

Blood transfusion service in the Czech Republic is disperse, hospital based. In 2008 several commercial plasmapheretic centers has been opened, data from these establishments are not analysed in this paper. Overall 52 hospital based blood establishments (eg. without commercial plasmapheresis) plus 14 blood collection centres took part in the production of allogeneic blood components and plasma for fractionation. These establishments together with another 42 blood banks substitute hospitals with blood components. Blood / plasma is collected mostly from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors, donor population is stable and relatively safe but remarcable decrease in numbers is obvious. Prevalence of infectious markers is low (and decreasing) and it is remarcable lower then in payed donors for commercial plasmapheresis (performed out of scope of hospital-based BTS). Production of blood components is stable over the years, country is self-sufficient in blood components: circa 40 red blood cell units per 1000 inhabitants; sufficient amount of clinical plasma (6 months quarantine) and 3,2 therapeutical doses of platelets per 1000 inhabitants are available. Predeposit autologous programme is popular. Over 115 tons of plasma are sent for industrial fractionation – well enough to cover needs of plasma derived proteins. Transfusion policy differs in different hospitals even if recommendations based on expert opinion are available for clinical use of blood. Severe adverse effects of transfusion are relatively rare.

Key words:
Czech Republic, Blood Transfusion Service, blood components, production, consumption, adverse reactions to transfusion