Source of blood and its consumption at King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) blood bank undertakes all the functions of blood transfusion service, from the recruitment of donors to the issue of blood products to patients. Currently, the blood bank depends on a mixture of replacement and voluntary donations. The blood bank had a previous experience of organizing a successful centralized King Saud University student donor drive which in the years 1885 to 1990 collected over 4000 blood units that almost covered KKUH blood needs. However, due to administrative difficulties, this drive did not continue. The main blood products consumed at the KKUH are packed red blood cell (PRBC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and platelet concentrate (PC). Long-term audits of their consumption showed that their consumption initially increased slowly with the total hospital admissions up to the year 1995 and then fell sharply to its lowest level in the year 2000: FFP dropped by 30.9%, PRBC by 27.8%, and PC by 48.6%. From 1995 onward, the total hospital patient admissions remained stable around 32,000 patients. The drop in consumption was taken to represent the magnitude of the inappropriate use of these products. This drop in consumption coincided with and was attributed to the widespread “HIV scare” that blood transfusion can transmit the infection, which made both patients and physicians reluctant to resort to blood therapy. There is a need to make sure that guidelines for the use of blood products are followed by all involved in the blood transfusion from blood collection to infusion into patients. These guidelines need to be supported by educational efforts targeting all those involved in hemotherapy, particularly physicians and nurses.