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PubMed1982

[Development of blood donating in the DDR in the period 1972 to 1980].

The development of the total amount of blood donations in the period from 1972-1980 was organized according to demand. With the percentage of blood from red cross donors increasing, blood donation attained a new quality which became evident in an increasing social recognition of donors coming from the red cross organization and which, above all, was characterized by its ethical-moral aspects. Further improvements could be achieved in organizing the preparation and establishment of fixed dates for blood donation. The demand for stored blood containing erythrocytes was ensured by an amount which lay below the international value of comparison. This, however, is taken as a basis for the future development of plasma demand. The increase of required plasma is effected by means of a plasmapheresis programme which still further is to be intensified.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed1994

Outbreak of hepatitis C associated with intravenous immunoglobulin administration--United States, October 1993-June 1994.

On February 21, 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was notified of 14 possible cases from three different countries of acute hepatitis C among persons who had received Gammagard, an intravenous immunoglobulin (IGIV) product manufactured by Baxter Healthcare Corporation (Glendale, California). The company removed Gammagard from the worldwide market on February 23, 1994. The American Red Cross removed Polygam (IGIV manufactured by Baxter Healthcare from American Red Cross plasma) from the market on the same date. This report presents preliminary findings of an evaluation of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection from these products and guidelines for monitoring patients who may have received them.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Utilization of preoperative autologous blood donation in elective surgery.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present paper was to review the pattern of collection and transfusion of autologous red cells for elective surgical procedures METHODS: Data on requests for preoperative autologous donation of blood were obtained from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Victoria and the Royal Melbourne Hospital for the calendar year 1998. The following information was collected: patient age, sex, surgery type, number of autologous units requested and collected and, if relevant, reasons for not achieving the requested collection. Transfusion of autologous units and any additional homologous units was confirmed from records at the blood banks of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Melbourne Pathology (the pathology provider performing cross-matching for the majority of autologous units collected by Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Victoria). RESULTS: Over 12 months, 2803 units of autologous blood were requested and 2282 units collected from 1301 patients. The most common reason for failure to collect the number of units requested was insufficient time between referral and surgery. Of the autologous units collected, 73% were transfused giving a collection to transfusion ratio of 1.4. Sixty-eight per cent of patients received their autologous units only, 10% received both autologous and homologous units, while 22% were not transfused. For the majority of procedures, patients using preoperative autologous donation of blood had higher transfusion rates than those who did not use this. CONCLUSIONS: Ninety per cent of patients undergoing preoperative autologous donation of blood successfully avoided homologous blood exposure. However, preoperative autologous donation of blood is both wasteful and increases the incidence of transfusion in surgical procedures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Reduction of donor exposures in premature infants by the use of designated adenine-saline preserved split red blood cell packs.

OBJECTIVE: Critically ill neonates frequently require multiple small volume red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. RBC units assigned to individual infants, used sequentially in small aliquots until the original expiration date, can substantially reduce donor exposures. In 1993, adenine-saline solution (AS-3) was introduced by the Canadian Red Cross as the red cell storage medium to replace citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine anticoagulant-preservative solution (CPDA-1). We surveyed the safety and efficacy of using AS-3 split packs, stored up to 35 days, for premature infants. STUDY DESIGN: Units of packed cells were aseptically welded to three satellite bags using a sterile connecting device. When blood was requested for a small volume transfusion, the first satellite bag was used and the others were set aside for the same baby, for use up until their expiration date of 35 days. RESULTS: Over a 1-year period, 56 infants received a total of 263 AS-3 transfusions from 97 donors, with a mean of 4.7 transfusions and 1.7 donor exposures per infant. Following a 7-ml/kg RBC transfusion, mean rise in hematocrit (hct) was 0.04, regardless of the age of the unit, mean change in serum potassium was -0.16 mmol/l and mean change in total bilirubin was +1.86 micromol/l. The posttransfusion hct was not reduced with the use of the older red cell packs. CONCLUSION: Designated AS-3-preserved split RBC packs effectively limit donor exposures, can safely be used for neonatal small volume transfusions, and give a constant transfusion effect after up to 35 days of storage.

Adenine↗
PubMed2001

Military and civilian penetrating eye trauma: anesthetic implications.

In 20th century warfare, wounds from fragmentation weapons have become the number 1 cause of military hospital admissions during combat. Specifically, grenades, landmines, mortars, and artillery weapons have replaced guns and bullets. Consequently, penetrating eye injuries and maxillofacial injuries in the military have escalated dramatically. In the civilian sector, pipe bombs, explosive bottles used in gang warfare, and terrorist bombs, which are all fragmentation weapons, have generated new studies in the care of patients with penetrating eye injury. This change in the wounding pattern is, documented internationally in military-medical literature and in civilian-medical literature of relief agencies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. The anesthetic management of open eye injuries has been a running controversy for 40 years in terms of the use of muscle relaxants. Nondepolarizing agents carry the risk of aspiration and increased intraocular pressure when trauma patients are intubated prematurely during rapid-sequence induction for "full stomachs." Succinylcholine would be the logical relaxant of choice for a rapid-sequence induction, but succinylcholine raises intraocular pressure. In many cases, the literature specifically contraindicates succinylcholine in the open eye injury for fear of extruding the content of the eye. A review of the vital assessment for the patient with a penetrating eye injury, as well as a comparative analysis of the literature, is presented. The conclusion favors pretreatment with a nondepolarizing agent and the use of succinylcholine during rapid-sequence induction. The eye injury itself is not the primary concern of this article. The primary concern is that open eye injuries serve as hallmarks for for more dangerous injuries. Penetrating open eye injuries merit extensive clinical assessment that can be life saving.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed2006

Demographic predictors of a positive HIV test result among clients attending a large metropolitan voluntary counselling and testing centre in Thailand.

OBJECTIVES: The Thai Red Cross Anonymous Clinic in Bangkok, established in 1991, was the first centre in Asia to provide anonymous, voluntary counselling and testing for HIV infection. We present outcomes of testing for the period 1997-2004. METHODS: Newcomers to the Thai Red Cross Anonymous Clinic were invited to complete a brief questionnaire concerning HIV risk behaviour and personal characteristics. The questionnaire was linked by code numbers to the HIV test result. Information obtained from the pretest questionnaire and HIV antibody test results from January 1997 to December 2004 were analysed. Data are presented as means [with standard deviation (SD)], medians [with interquartile range (IQR)] or percentages. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression was performed to identify factors predicting a positive HIV test result. RESULTS: Over the 8-year study period, 65,807 new clients attended the clinic. Two-thirds were male and the mean age was 31.7 years (SD 9 years), and more than half were single. The proportion of high-school graduates was 43%, and 36% earned more than 10,000 Baht a month (40 Baht:1 US dollar). Of 54,578 new clients who had an HIV test during the study period, 17.5% had a positive test result. In multivariate analysis, predictive factors for HIV positivity included female gender, age group 25-34 years, widowed status (women), residence outside Bangkok, birthplace in a northern province, no formal schooling, farmer as profession, and salary less than 5000 Baht a month (the current legal minimum daily wage set by the Thai Ministry of Labor is 181 Baht). CONCLUSIONS: With nearly 7000 clients newly tested for HIV infection each year, the Anonymous Clinic in Bangkok has provided a unique epidemiological window into the patterns of HIV infection in the Thai capital.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Treatment of lower extremity injuries due to antipersonnel mines: blast resuscitation and victim assistance team experiences in Cambodia.

The two teams comprising the fiscal year 2001 Blast Resuscitation and Victim Assistance mission had the opportunity to learn from and practice mine injury treatment principles with experienced local and international war surgeons in Cambodia. Treatment principles were modifications of International Committee of the Red Cross recommendations. A total of 14 acute lower extremity mine injuries were treated. Surgery generally consisted of an open amputation or thorough irrigation and debridement using equipment readily available in any U.S. military field hospital. The surgical techniques will be described in detail. Delayed primary closure occurred 5 days later followed by prosthesis fitting (for amputees) in an International Committee of the Red Cross facility 12 weeks later. Other options and techniques will be discussed with an emphasis on applicability to U.S. military field surgery.

Amputation, Surgical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A private organization and public agency partnership in community health education.

The authors address a unique partnership among private and public organizations, that of the American Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control of the Public Health Service. The partnership stimulates an integrated community response to preventing and controlling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) at the local level. The partnership channels information and provides education to local communities through the efforts of volunteers and staff members. Information is made available as well through other partnerships established under the cooperative agreement between the American Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control. These partnerships include other national organizations, such as the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS, the National Association of People with AIDS, the National Urban League, and the National Council of La Raza. Education and information messages are designed to complement and be consistent with information and messages from the Public Health Service through the National AIDS Information and Education Program and the "America Responds to AIDS" public information campaign. The objectives are to mobilize local community support for efforts for HIV infection and AIDS prevention and services, as well as to heighten public awareness of the issues.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1999

Predictive value of past and current screening tests for syphilis in blood donors: changing from a rapid plasma reagin test to an automated specific treponemal test for screening.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the change from a rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test to an automated specific treponemal test (PK-TP) in screening for syphilis in blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional seroprevalence analysis was performed on 4,878,215 allogeneic blood donations from 19 American Red Cross Blood Services regions from May 1993 through September 1995. Positive predictive values relative to the confirmatory fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS) were calculated. Differences in seroprevalence were compared in RPR and PK-TP tests for 1) unconfirmed and confirmed tests, 2) first-time and repeat donors, and 3) "recent" versus "past" infections. Donation data from three additional Red Cross regions were evaluated for repeat donation patterns of blood donors who had a donation that was positive in a serologic screening test for syphilis. The value of RPR and PK-TP tests as surrogate markers for HIV infection was compared. RESULTS: Reactive rates were lower but the positive predictive values was higher for the PK-TP test than for the RPR test. Initially, donors screened by PK-TP were more likely to be confirmed as positive than were donors screened by RPR, but these rates became comparable. It is estimated that a single HIV window-period donation was removed by serologic testing for syphilis each year of this study period. CONCLUSIONS: The change to the PK-TP test resulted in a lower repeatedly reactive rate, better prediction that a confirmed-positive test for syphilis would occur in testing in the FTA-ABS, fewer donations lost, and comparable deferral rates. Because of the high rate of reactivity to serologic testing for syphilis among donors previously confirmed positive for syphilis, indefinite deferral after a confirmed-positive index donation may be warranted. Serologic testing for syphilis is ineffective as a marker of HIV-infectious window-period donations.

Antibody Specificity↗
PubMed1995

What happens to donated blood?

Pursuing their chief work--gathering, processing and distributing blood--the blood donor centres of the Canadian Red Cross Society follow standard operating procedures like those in place at the Ottawa centre. Here, recruitment staff and volunteers work to recruit donors to meet needs at a time when the number of donors is falling. When they register, donors must show proof of identity. Each receives a permanent identification number that is linked to the numbers assigned to the units of blood each donates and to the date the unit was collected and the centre that collected it. Donors must answer questions about health and high-risk activity, and the blood of those who report high-risk activity is not accepted. Units are screened by automated instruments for syphilis, hepatitis B and C, HIV types 1 and 2, and human T-cell leukemia virus. Units with a negative test result are broken down into components for use in hospitals. A reactive test result prompts quarantining of the unit and a second screening test. If this test result is also reactive, a sample of the unit is sent to the National Testing Laboratory for confirmatory testing, and the unit is discarded. Once it has the results of the confirmatory test, the centre contacts the donor. Blood is now considered a drug. Red Cross practices in Canada and around the world have been changing since 1989 to reflect this.

Blood↗
PubMed1997

The risk of transmitting HCV, HBV or HIV by blood transfusion in Victoria.

OBJECTIVE: To report the incidence rate of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV in Victorian repeat blood donors and to derive the residual risk of transmission of the viruses by screened blood transfusion. DESIGN: The interval from the previous whole blood donation was extracted retrospectively from Victorian Red Cross Blood Bank records for each of the 358332 repeat donations given between March 1994 and December 1995. Records of repeat donors found positive for the viruses in this period were traced to the previous seronegative donation and accepted if screened by the same test. For each virus, the number of previous donations screened by the same test was calculated and the sum of all donation intervals used to derive the incidence of infection in the repeat donor population. Published intervals after infection (when a donation can be infective although seronegative) were used to calculate the risk of release of a seronegative unit which would be infective. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Homologous blood donors at the Red Cross Blood Bank of Victoria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence rate of HBV, HCV and HIV in regular blood donors and risk of infective donations being seronegative. RESULTS: The incidence of infection in repeat donors was: HBV: 1.67 per 100000 person-years; HCV: 1.89 per 100000 person-years; and HIV: 1.31 per 100000 person-years. The risk of a seronegative repeat donation being infective was: HBV: 2.71 per million donations (adjusted to 6.45 to account for viraemias which remain seronegative); HCV: 4.27 per million donations; and HIV: 0.79 per million donations. CONCLUSION: The risk of transmitting HCV, HBV or HIV by repeat blood donors is low and compares favourably with overseas data. Repeat donors have an incidence rate of HIV and HBV comparable to that of the general population, but the incidence rate of HCV is lower for repeat donors than in the general population.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed2004

Role of patient-support groups in the Thailand transplant program.

Thailand started kidney transplantation in 1972 when vascular and nonvascular transplant programs were first established. Presently, we have 27 kidney, 6 liver, and 6 intrathoracic private or governmental transplantation centers, all approved and members of the Organ Donation Centres Thai Red Cross Society (ODC). They also provide organ procurement teams to the ODC. The Thai Medical Council has issued and supervised the criterion of brain death and ethical rules of transplantation to all practicing physicians since 1989. All recipients must register at these selected transplantation centers and at the ODC. When the potential donor arrives from any hospital in Thailand, the donor hospital notifies the ODC and organ procurement teams are sent out to harvest organs and transfer them to the recipient transplantation centers. The ODC computerizes and shares organs according to ABO, HLA typing, and crossmatching results. After transplantation all patients register with the Thai Transplantation Society (TTS) and the ODC. The TTS, the Thai Transplant Coordinator Society, and the ODC are responsible for the education of surgeons, physicians, nurses, patients, the public, and mass media to improve our transplant program. Bone marrow transplantation has separate regulations. Pooled, nonrelated bone marrow donors are registered at the blood-bank of the Thai Red Cross Society to provide donors for bone marrow transplantation. Financially, government support recipients only if they are state enterprise workers or civil servants. Public fund support through the ODC for organ procurement and the Kidney Foundation of Thailand is available for kidney transplantation. The ODC and the transplantation centers are the main patient-support groups for transplant programs in Thailand.

Education, Continuing↗
PubMed2002

[Health status of asylum seeking children].

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this investigation was to describe asylum seeking children's social and family situation, health status, strain factors connected with migration, and to unveil practice relevant indicators, which can furthermore delimit children with special needs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross section investigation of asylum seeking children, who in the first half of 1997 were accommodated in The Danish Red Cross Reception Centre and examined by a doctor and/or a public health nurse according to the rules laid down by The Danish Red Cross Social and Health Department. If language problems occurred, an interpreter was present at the examination. Data were collected from the medical record of the child and the parents. RESULTS: The investigation included 364 children. 59% of the children had 306 diagnoses or symptoms, 17% of the diagnoses or symptoms were referred to a specialist or a psychologist. The children came from 25 different countries. 43% came with both parents. The most frequent symptoms in the children were tooth and skin problems and enuresis. DISCUSSION: On the background of disease prevalence, asylum seeking children do not seem to be more frequently ill than children living in Denmark. It is considered that the present investigation could successfully be repeated with a view to universal validity. In the medical records, asylum seeking children's physical health situation is well described, whereas symptoms arising from the flight and experiences are sparsely described. It is recommended that an investigation is carried out, in which both the children's physical and mental health situation is described.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

West Nile virus among blood donors in the United States, 2003 and 2004.

BACKGROUND: West Nile virus first appeared in the United States in 1999 and has since spread throughout the contiguous states, resulting in thousands of cases of disease. By 2002, it was clear that the virus could be transmitted by blood transfusion, and by the middle of 2003, essentially all blood donations were being tested for West Nile virus RNA with the use of investigational nucleic acid amplification tests; testing was performed on individual samples or on "minipools" of up to 16 donations. METHODS: We analyzed data from the West Nile virus testing program of the American Red Cross for 2003 and 2004 to identify geographic and temporal trends. In areas with a high incidence of infection, individual donations were tested to increase the sensitivity of testing. Donors with reactive results participated in follow-up studies to confirm the original reactivity and to assess the natural history of infection. RESULTS: Routine testing in 2003 and 2004 identified 540 donations that were positive for West Nile virus RNA, of which 362 (67 percent) were IgM-antibody-negative and most likely infectious. Of the 540 positive donations, 148 (27 percent) were detectable only by testing of individual donations, but only 15 of the 148 (10 percent) were negative for IgM antibody. The overall frequencies of RNA-positive donations during the epidemic periods were 1.49 per 10,000 donations in 2003 and 0.44 per 10,000 in 2004. In 2004, 52 percent of the positive donations were from donors in four counties in southern California. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid implementation of a nucleic acid amplification test led to the prospective identification of 519 donors who were positive for West Nile virus RNA and the removal of more than 1000 potentially infectious related components from the blood supply of the Red Cross. No cases of transfusion-transmitted infection were confirmed among recipients of the tested blood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Shimizu Kôichi (1873-1935): author of "A new textbook of general nursing and psychiatric nursing"].

Shimizu was employed as a male attendant at the Tôkyô Prefectural Mental Hospital at the age of 17. In wartime he worked as a member of a contingent of the Japan Red Cross Society. In 1897 he finished the one-year course of nursing at the Central Red Cross Hospital. He must have been the first Japanese psychiatric nurse who was trained as a nurse. Shimizu, as the male head-nurse of the Tôkyô prefectural mental hospital, assisted Superintendent Dr. Kure Shûzô in reforming the hospital to the non-restraint system. In 1908 he published "A New Textbook of General Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing", which allotted many pages to psychiatric nursing. In prewar Japan almost all textbooks of nursing paid little or no attention to psychiatric nursing. Shimizu's textbook ran into the tenth edition. He died as the present male head-nurse at the age of 61. One might say that Shimizu was to Superintendent Dr. Kure as was Jean-Baptiste Pussin to Philippe Pinel.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed2001

Evolution of the perinatal care system.

BACKGROUND: The perinatal support system for mothers and babies, which has evolved over the past 6 years at the Morioka Red Cross Hospital, is described. METHODS: Between July 1995 and August 1999, 1864 puerperal mothers at the Morioka Red Cross Hospital responded to the Maternity Blues Scale (MB) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 1 month, each with an open comment form. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: There was a significant difference in each MB item between individuals who scored above 9 points and those who scored lower in the EPDS. Those who later scored high in the EPDS had responses to a preceding MB where we had checked items of 'confusion', 'experience of crying', 'anxiety', 'exhaustion', 'feeling depressed', 'nervousness', 'agitation' and 'forgetfulness'. Administration of the MB and provision of a free comment form significantly decreased EPDS scores. Ensuring that the views of mothers are acknowledged within the context of an adequate care system is central to effective perinatal care.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Avian genetic background modulates the neural crest apoptosis induced by ethanol exposure.

BACKGROUND: Ethanol-induced neural crest apoptosis likely contributes to the distinctive craniofacial phenotype that results from prenatal alcohol exposure. The mechanism responsible for this apoptosis is incompletely understood. A serendipitous change in poultry production flocks led to the discovery that, in chick, the embryo's genetic background modulates its susceptibility to ethanol-induced apoptosis. METHODS: We examined the level of ethanol-induced neural crest apoptosis in 11 chick layer strains or crosses, using acridine orange uptake. RESULTS: Holding the ethanol dose and exposure stage constant, strains were classified into very sensitive (Babcock ISA, HyLine W98, Babcock B300/Hampshire Red cross [BxHR]), moderately sensitive (Spafas, HyLine W36, Babcock B300), and nonresponsive (DeKalb White and Black, Shaver White and 2000, DcKalb White/Hampshire Red cross). Detailed examination of two susceptible strains (W98, BxHR) and a resistant strain (DcKalb White) revealed that the DeKalb's nonresponse was not caused by a shift in timing of apoptosis, or to a lower alcohol exposure at either time of injection or time of death. Strains had identical stage distributions at the time of injection and at apoptosis; housing and diet were held constant. CONCLUSIONS: Factors within the embryo and/or egg environment can affect the susceptibility to ethanol-induced apoptosis. These sensitive and resistant strains will be important tools to dissect the molecular mechanism of ethanol-induced apoptosis, and for understanding how these losses affect subsequent development.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Perinatal psychiatry for mother-infant mental health--perinatal care for untreated patient].

I have presented to our support system, which mainly utilizes the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 4 days and 1 month for mothers in the perinatal period and newborn babies, who have been under the care of the Morioka Red Cross Hospital. The perinatal system for mothers and babies, which has evolved over the past 9 years at the Morioka Red Cross Hospital. I explained the case of a 25-year-old woman who had already been suffering from depression before her pregnancy, and the course of improvement she experienced under this support system. In particular, I have shown a means of support, which can be provided by the obstetrics staff and is available to patient and families without making them feel hesitant. We take care of childbirth, and after baby care has started, we encourage depressive mothers to visit the Psychiatric Department. As a result, depression is no longer problematic, and the mothers recover sufficiently to be able to take good care of their babies. Even now, we are keeping track of these mothers and babies, while working together with the public health centers in communities. In the future, we will place emphasis on the implementation of SCID and on the careful observations of mothers and especially, babies, under the room-in system. We are also planning to begin lactation guidance at an earlier stage than before.

Adult↗