Intermountain Medical Center treated five patients last weekend that needed massive blood transfusions—in the middle of a nationwide shortage of blood products. Caregivers from the Lab and Transfusion Services worked some miracles to make sure all patients got the care they needed. But more blood donations are needed to ensure an adequate supply all summer.
As the shortage became severe on Sunday, the IMC Transfusion Services team spent much of the day on the phone trying to locate more blood at other facilities and coordinating with the courier to get needed blood products delivered. The team also packed coolers, ordered blood, received and tested blood, and restocked shelves—all while keeping up with their regular patient testing and transfusion needs.
“Thank you all so much for helping us out,” says Don Van Boerum, MD, director of trauma and surgical critical care at IMC. “I know there were many many phone calls made to allow us to remain open for emergency surgery and trauma. Once again, our blood bank has worked miracles.”
“This team works hard every day, but the events of this weekend were particularly grueling and exhausting,” says Terry Rees, Transfusion Services supervisor. “I’d like to thank all of them for this marathon of exceptionally hard work.”
“Our O positive shelf and O negative shelf would have been empty without their efforts,” says Sarah Ilstrup, MD, associate medical director of Central Lab. “It was an all-hands-on-deck effort. We’re keeping good thoughts for some calmer days ahead.”
Dr. Ilstrup says there’s usually a shortage of blood in the summer, but this year’s shortage started earlier than normal and is more severe. Donations are needed so we won’t have to cancel elective surgeries and so we’ll be able to perform transplant surgeries as organs become available. Blood types most needed right now include O positive, O negative, B positive, and B negative, but all red cells are in short supply.
How can you donate? Go to redcrossblood.org and enter your zip code to find blood donation opportunities near you. You can also find donation opportunities at utahblood.org. The need for blood is constant and the national and local shortage is predicted to last for the next 60-90 days. To ensure an adequate inventory of blood for the next two to three months, some donors will be scheduled for appointments immediately and others will be asked to donate a few weeks from now to decrease the risk of drawing too many people now and not having donors available later in the summer.
“Anything we can do to bolster our local supply is good for our patients,” says Dr. Ilstrup.