Virtual blood banking in Hong Kong

Area of Science:

• Transfusion Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Surgical Services

Background:

• Intra-operative transfusions are critical for surgical patient management.
• Efficient blood banking systems are essential to support surgical procedures.
• Virtual blood banking offers a novel approach to managing blood products in operating rooms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the experience and effectiveness of a virtual blood banking system for intra-operative transfusions.
• To assess the system's impact on transfusion timeliness and patient safety.
• To determine the feasibility of implementing virtual blood banking in various hospital settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study design.
• Analysis of data from an Operating Theatre Blood Transaction System across three acute hospitals and one specialized center.
• Review of red cell unit releases, emergency transfusions, and returned units over a defined period.

Main Results:

• 58,923 red cell units were issued for 18,264 patients intra-operatively.
• Less than 1% of transfusions involved unmatched red cells for emergencies.
• The mean time for issuing the first red cell unit was under 1 minute.
• No surgical delays occurred due to system downtime.

Conclusions:

• The virtual blood banking system demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness in intra-operative transfusions.
• The system ensures accurate and timely delivery of blood products, improving patient care.
• Virtual blood banking is a viable solution for both centralized and remote hospital settings.