SABM Position: Patient Blood Management During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

Many of us are hearing of potential shortages of blood components and the call from blood centers for volunteers to donate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Society for the Advancement of Blood Management recognizes the altruistic spirit and commitment to community that voluntary blood donors exhibit. Surprising to most people, though, is that after both natural and man-made disasters the use of transfused blood either stays the same or even declines.

Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic upon us, and as we would expect, the blood supply is dwindling as donors stay away and existing donated blood expires. However, calls from blood centers for more blood donors will not alleviate this problem, and unless we open ourselves to better solutions, we are bound for disaster.

SABM has developed the position statement which is available at the link below.

TO DOWNLOAD A PDF VERSION OF THE POSITION STATEMENT PLEASE CLICK HERE

SABM announces a new resource article on PBM in a Pandemic

SABM and IFPBM have led the effort to create a global coalition of clinical leaders in Patient Blood Management to write and publish the article "The Essential Role of Patient Blood Management in a Pandemic: A Call for Action".  The important piece will be published in the July 2020 issue of the Anesthesia & Analgesia journal.

To access the full article please CLICK HERE

The abstract of the article is below:

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic. Global health care now faces unprecedented challenges with widespread and rapid human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and high morbidity and mortality with COVID-19 worldwide. Across the world, the medical care is hampered by a critical shortage of not only hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment, ventilators and hospital beds, but also impediments to the blood supply. Blood donation centers in many areas around the globe have mostly closed. Donors, practicing social distancing, some either with illness or undergoing self-quarantine, are quickly diminishing. Drastic public health initiatives have focused on containment and “flattening the curve” while invaluable resources are being depleted. In some countries, the point is reached at which demand for such resources, including donor blood outstrips supply. Questions as to the safety of blood persist. Although it does not appear very likely that the virus can be transmitted through allogeneic blood transfusion, this still remains to be fully determined. As options dwindle, we must enact regional and national shortage plans worldwide, and more vitally disseminate the knowledge of and immediately implement Patient Blood Management (PBM). PBM is an evidence-based bundle of care to optimize medical and surgical patient outcomes by clinically managing and preserving a patient’s own blood. This multinational and diverse group of authors issue this “Call to Action” underscoring “The Essential Role of Patient Blood Management in the Management of Pandemics” and urging all stakeholders and providers to implement the practical and common-sense principles of PBM and its multi-professional and multimodality approaches.

SABM 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting

2020 Annual Meeting is going Virtual

SAVE THE DATE!

September 10-12, 2020 

July 2, 2020 update

Dear SABM community,

After carefully considering all options for this year's SABM Annual Meeting and in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SABM has decided to cancel the in-person meeting and move to an all-virtual event to be held September 10-12, 2020 which are the originally scheduled dates for the meeting. While we make this decision with a heavy heart, we are also energized by the prospect of continuing to offer our attendees the exceptional learning and community experience you deserve.  Offering a virtual meeting will help make the excellent speakers and content available to a wider audience and we are excited at the prospect of growing our SABM community.

SABM has chosen a state-of-the art virtual meeting platform that combines an innovative learning environment with reliable functionality and intuitive navigation. The schedule will include a mix of live and on-demand sessions, along with an interactive exhibition hall, networking spaces and poster hall. 

We understand schedules are challenging as many of us are managing new work and home demands during this time. To ensure you have ultimate flexibility, we are excited to offer 24-hour access to the virtual Annual Meeting platform—allowing you to learn and engage at your own pace no matter where you are in the world or your day. Attendees will also be able to access the platform for an additional month following the conclusion of the meeting.

SABM will provide continuous updates about the 2020 Annual Meeting in the coming days and weeks as planning continues.

Whether this is your first SABM Annual Meeting or you have attended many SABM Annual Meetings, we will make history together in September as we celebrate you, your accomplishments and this remarkable community.  

We look forward to seeing you in September.