Report on Notifications Pursuant to §21 German Transfusion Act for 2007

Abstract

The present report contains the data collected in 2007, pursuant to Section 21 German Transfusion Act, and an analysis of the supply situation over the past 8 years. As in previous years, all blood donation centres located in Germany transmitted data on the collection, manufacture, import and export of blood components for transfusion. According to these data, a total of 6.7 million blood collections were performed in 2007. With 4.7 million, the portion of whole blood donations was at the level of previous years, whereas the number of apheresis donations rose again, to 1.9 million. The portion of autologous blood collections accounts for only 1.1% and thus continues to decline. Since 2003, the number of red blood cell concentrates prepared has been a constant 4.5 million transfusion units. The decay of red blood cell concentrates on the user side in 2000 accounted for 5% while in 2007 it was just above 3%, referred to the total quantity of data reported as transfused and decayed. The manufacture of platelet concentrates rose from 366,000 to 480,000 transfusion units between 2003 and 2007. The production of therapeutic single plasmas, too, markedly increased in 2007 (to 1.2 million transfusion units). In 2007, 2.2 million l of plasma for fractionation were collected in Germany. In addition, 1.0 million l were imported, and 1.8 million l were exported. The quantity available in Germany from a pure arithmetic point of view of 1.4 million l was almost entirely allocated to basic fractionation so that a sufficient plasma supply can be assumed. Due to the fact that manufacturing capacities are still lacking in Germany, recombinant factors need to be imported in their entirety. Since 2003, Germany has by far been the leader in Europe with more than 20 l of fractionation plasma collected per 1,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, regarding the manufacturing figures of red blood cell concentrates, platelet concentrates, and therapeutic single plasma, Germany is in the top third for all these products compared with other European countries. The manufacture of allogeneic stem cell products for haematopoietic reconstitution, obtained by apheresis, has continuously risen to 4,700. A large portion of this (1,810 transplants) could be exported while only a small number (179 preparations) had to be imported. The manufacture of autologous stem cell preparations from cord blood has risen drastically to more than 10,000 in 2007. The interest in the figures collected in compliance with Section 21, German Transfusion Act remains high both in Germany and at an international level. Meanwhile reliable data are available.

Donor Satisfaction with a New German Blood Donor Questionnaire and Intention of the Donor to Return for Further Donations

“…The annual numbers of blood donations and transfused red blood cell (RBC) concentrates in Germany have risen considerably during the last decade [1]. Due to the increasing number of elderly persons with health concerns, several studies have concluded that the demand for blood transfusions will continue to rise in the upcoming years [2,3].…”

Quality and Safety in Blood Supply in 2010

“…To this end, the TFG requires the report of data on collection, manufacture, import and export as well as usage of blood and blood products. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has built up a data base which can be accessed online by those obliged to report, evaluates the data and publishes regularly reports on the supply situation [22]. A worrying and still not completely resolved problem is the propagation of vCJD.…”

Utilisation of Blood Components in Cardiac Surgery: A Single-Centre Retrospective Analysis with Regard to Diagnosis-Related Procedures

“…This trend has been partially affirmed in other countries as well [11]. Due to the increased number of surgical interventions and their progressive complexity, particularly in higher-developed countries [1,4,12,13,14,15,16], the demand for blood products has increased globally, as noted by a demographic analysis [17]. Additionally, older patients require more blood transfusions [14,18,19] as a result of progress in medical sciences and therapeutic options [17].…”

“…Additionally, older patients require more blood transfusions [14,18,19] as a result of progress in medical sciences and therapeutic options [17]. Additionally, the demographic ageing of the population in higher developed countries may even reduce the number of younger individuals without illness who have preferentially been recruited as voluntary blood donors [4,12,14,15,20,21]. …”