[Blood transfusion and consultation]

Many hospital staff, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc., are engaged in blood transfusion practice, and various inquiries are referred to the blood transfusion services. In order to provide a prompt and proper reply, transfusionists must have a wealth of knowledge and experience concerning blood transfusion medicine. Q & A relating to blood transfusion can be found on the home page of the Japanese Society of Blood Transfusion, and these are useful staff resources to obtain simple information. However, we sometimes encounter difficult problems in the management of a patient's treatment. Three representative transfusion-related issues are described in this article: (1) blood transfusion to patients with a positive DAT; (2) emergency transfusion, especially in cases where unexpected antibodies are encountered; (3) management of platelet transfusion refractoriness. Minimum standards for the investigation of transfusion-related adverse reactions developed by SHOT (Serious Hazards of Transfusion) are also introduced in this article, and these have a highly practical value. Finally, the importance of education in transfusion medicine is described. The number of doctors in Japan who are engaged exclusively in transfusion medicine is small, but blood transfusions are performed in every hospital, regardless of whether such a specialist is present. We have recently had to deal with a wide range of transplantation-related issues. Therefore, there is a great need for special education in transfusion medicine for doctors in the transplantation and cell therapy age.