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Photo by Juan D. Alfonso
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has announced an initiative to provide more detailed blood-group typing for patients with hemoglobinopathies, with the goal of enabling better-matched and potentially safer transfusions.
The typing will detect Rh variant blood groups, which need to be considered when planning transfusions.
Previously, typing to this level was only possible through reference laboratories using complex genotyping methods.
NHSBT is offering the testing at no extra cost to hospitals in England until the end of June 2016.
The initiative involves routinely testing for the RHD and RHCE variants most commonly found in patients with hemoglobinopathies. NHSBT will also test genes for the blood groups K, k, Kpa, Kpb, Jsa, Jsb, Jka, Jkb, Fya, Fyb, Fy (GATA), M, N, S, s, U, Doa, and Dob.
Unlike older methods, this testing can be performed in patients who have recently received blood.
NHSBT said this initiative will enable the creation of a database of genotyped blood details for patients with hemoglobinopathies.
Extended blood type information and fast access to the database could potentially enable safer blood transfusions for these patients, who may need numerous transfusions during their lifetime and may move between hospitals.
NHSBT said it has received more than 2500 blood samples thus far. The results are processed centrally by NHSBT at the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Filton and are securely stored.
Patients’ test results will be accessible to the teams involved in the patients’ care.
“Patients taking part can now potentially receive more finely matched blood if we know not just their blood group but whether they have a variant Rh type,” said Sara Trompeter, MB ChB, a consultant hematologist for NHSBT.
“And there will also be greater safety and likelihood of getting matched blood in an emergency, as their records will be held centrally and can be accessed by blood banks in local hospitals. We would urge all patients with hemoglobin disorders such as sickle cell disease or thalassemia to speak to their medical or nursing team about providing a blood sample to NHS Blood and Transplant via their local transfusion laboratories to be genotyped.”
Additional information on this initiative can be found at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/extendedbloodgrouptesting. 
Photo by Juan D. Alfonso
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has announced an initiative to provide more detailed blood-group typing for patients with hemoglobinopathies, with the goal of enabling better-matched and potentially safer transfusions.
The typing will detect Rh variant blood groups, which need to be considered when planning transfusions.
Previously, typing to this level was only possible through reference laboratories using complex genotyping methods.
NHSBT is offering the testing at no extra cost to hospitals in England until the end of June 2016.
The initiative involves routinely testing for the RHD and RHCE variants most commonly found in patients with hemoglobinopathies. NHSBT will also test genes for the blood groups K, k, Kpa, Kpb, Jsa, Jsb, Jka, Jkb, Fya, Fyb, Fy (GATA), M, N, S, s, U, Doa, and Dob.
Unlike older methods, this testing can be performed in patients who have recently received blood.
NHSBT said this initiative will enable the creation of a database of genotyped blood details for patients with hemoglobinopathies.
Extended blood type information and fast access to the database could potentially enable safer blood transfusions for these patients, who may need numerous transfusions during their lifetime and may move between hospitals.
NHSBT said it has received more than 2500 blood samples thus far. The results are processed centrally by NHSBT at the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Filton and are securely stored.
Patients’ test results will be accessible to the teams involved in the patients’ care.
“Patients taking part can now potentially receive more finely matched blood if we know not just their blood group but whether they have a variant Rh type,” said Sara Trompeter, MB ChB, a consultant hematologist for NHSBT.
“And there will also be greater safety and likelihood of getting matched blood in an emergency, as their records will be held centrally and can be accessed by blood banks in local hospitals. We would urge all patients with hemoglobin disorders such as sickle cell disease or thalassemia to speak to their medical or nursing team about providing a blood sample to NHS Blood and Transplant via their local transfusion laboratories to be genotyped.”
Additional information on this initiative can be found at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/extendedbloodgrouptesting.
Photo by Juan D. Alfonso
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has announced an initiative to provide more detailed blood-group typing for patients with hemoglobinopathies, with the goal of enabling better-matched and potentially safer transfusions.
The typing will detect Rh variant blood groups, which need to be considered when planning transfusions.
Previously, typing to this level was only possible through reference laboratories using complex genotyping methods.
NHSBT is offering the testing at no extra cost to hospitals in England until the end of June 2016.
The initiative involves routinely testing for the RHD and RHCE variants most commonly found in patients with hemoglobinopathies. NHSBT will also test genes for the blood groups K, k, Kpa, Kpb, Jsa, Jsb, Jka, Jkb, Fya, Fyb, Fy (GATA), M, N, S, s, U, Doa, and Dob.
Unlike older methods, this testing can be performed in patients who have recently received blood.
NHSBT said this initiative will enable the creation of a database of genotyped blood details for patients with hemoglobinopathies.
Extended blood type information and fast access to the database could potentially enable safer blood transfusions for these patients, who may need numerous transfusions during their lifetime and may move between hospitals.
NHSBT said it has received more than 2500 blood samples thus far. The results are processed centrally by NHSBT at the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Filton and are securely stored.
Patients’ test results will be accessible to the teams involved in the patients’ care.
“Patients taking part can now potentially receive more finely matched blood if we know not just their blood group but whether they have a variant Rh type,” said Sara Trompeter, MB ChB, a consultant hematologist for NHSBT.
“And there will also be greater safety and likelihood of getting matched blood in an emergency, as their records will be held centrally and can be accessed by blood banks in local hospitals. We would urge all patients with hemoglobin disorders such as sickle cell disease or thalassemia to speak to their medical or nursing team about providing a blood sample to NHS Blood and Transplant via their local transfusion laboratories to be genotyped.”
Additional information on this initiative can be found at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/extendedbloodgrouptesting.