AABB, Cleveland Clinic Sponsor Conference on Blood Conservation; Blood Banking, Transfusion Community Gather in Cleveland, April 4-5

4/4/2003

From: Jennifer Garfinkel or Emilly Yu of the American Association of Blood Banks, 301-215-6526, publicrelations@aabb.org, or Lisa Murphy of The Cleveland Clinic, 216-444-7935, murphyl@ccf.org

BETHESDA, Md., April 4 -- The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and The Cleveland Clinic have joined together to sponsor a conference on current blood conservation and perioperative techniques. The conference will offer health-care professionals involved in the practice of recovering and salvaging blood lost by the patient during surgery the chance to discuss advanced blood collection and administration techniques in a national forum. Safety concerns involving the use of blood in medical procedures are making blood conservation an increasingly valuable alternative to the more traditional method of allogeneic blood transfusions, in which blood other than that of the donor is used.

"The AABB is pleased to partner with The Cleveland Clinic on such a timely and informative endeavor," said Karen Shoos Lipton, chief executive officer of AABB. "Today's health-care providers realize that it is in the best interest of all patients to use blood and blood products appropriately and in a safe environment. As new blood conservation techniques and methods become available, the health-care community's decision to adopt these procedures will directly impact patient care."

Highlights at the conference include presentations on blood conservation techniques in cardiac, knee replacement and cancer surgery, obstetrics, surgical techniques and technology and AABB accreditation procedures. Featured speakers include Lawrence Tim Goodnough, MD, from Washington University; Jonathan Waters, MD, from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Paula Santrach, MD, from the Mayo Clinic; and a variety of other leading blood conservation experts.

"With the diminishing blood supply throughout the U.S. and the world, blood conservation is becoming increasingly important," said Jonathan Waters, MD, a Cleveland Clinic anesthesiologist and director of its Autotransfusion Services. "Not only does blood conservation reduce the risk of possible infections, but patients generally experience lower operative infection rates and shorter hospital stays, which gives the hospital more available beds. Health-care professionals and institutions need to seriously consider the benefits of adopting comprehensive blood programs."

Numerous surgical procedures utilize blood conservation, such as cardiac, vascular, orthopedic, urologic, trauma, gynecologic and transplant surgery. These blood conservation procedures may involve many health-care professionals, including nurses, surgeons, hematologists, transfusion specialists, and anesthesiologists. There is growing interest in blood conservation techniques because patients often prefer to receive their own blood during a transfusion and new therapies exist that were not available a generation ago.

Both AABB and The Cleveland Clinic have established high standards for modern perioperative care. The AABB has published the only set of standards and accreditation guidelines for facilities engaging in perioperative techniques.

The Cleveland Clinic, through its blood banking and anesthesiology groups, is committed to further investigation of blood conservation and cell salvage techniques. Currently, the Clinic practices a comprehensive blood conservation program, including cell salvage, normovolemic hemodilution techniques, platelet gels, anemia management and point of care coagulation function monitoring.

For additional information about the conference visit the "Professionals/National-Regional Conferences" section of the AABB Web site: http://www.aabb.org/Professionals/Professional_Development/ National_Conferences/nat_conf.htm(pound)1. Information is also available on the "US Courses" section of The Cleveland Clinic's Web site: http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/courses/bloodconservation2003 .htm .

This conference is made possible through organizational support from the Cleveland Clinic Education Foundation and the Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, as well as educational grants from: Ortho Biotech, Medtronic Perfusion Systems, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Cobe Cardiovascular, Inc., Haemonetics Corporations, Hemosol, Inc. and Tissuelink Medical, Inc.

AABB Established in 1947, the American Association of Blood Banks is an international not-for-profit association of blood banks, including hospital and community blood centers, transfusion and transplantation services and individuals involved in activities related to transfusion and transplantation medicine. The AABB supports high standards of medical, technical and administrative performance, scientific investigation, clinical application and education. It is dedicated to encouraging the voluntary donation of blood and other tissues and organs through education, public information and research. AABB member facilities are responsible for collecting virtually all of the nation's blood supply and transfusing more than 80 percent. Approximately 2,000 institutions (community and hospital blood banks, hospital transfusion services and laboratories) and 8,000 individuals are members of the AABB, including physicians, scientists, administrators, medical technologists, blood donor recruiters and public relations personnel. Members are located in all 50 states and 80 foreign countries.

Cleveland Clinic The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, founded in 1921, integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education in a private, not-for-profit group practice. Approximately 1,100 full-time salaried physicians at The Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2001, there were more than 2.2 million outpatient visits to The Cleveland Clinic. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. There were nearly 52,000 hospital admissions to The Cleveland Clinic in 2001. The Cleveland Clinic website address is http://www.clevelandclinic.org.