HEALTH
By Meredith Cohn | April 25, 2012
Patients may be getting blood transfusion too often during surgery, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers. The study shows wide variation in the use of transfusions, and those who receive blood fare no better, and sometimes do worse. The problem may be that doctors don't have clear guidelines about when to use the expensive and scarce resource. “Over the past five years, studies have supported giving less blood than we used to, and our research shows that practitioners have not caught up,” said Dr. Steven M. Frank, leader of the study published in the journal Anesthesiology . “Blood conservation is one of the few areas in medicine where outcomes can be improved, risk reduced and costs saved all at the same time,” he said in a statement.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | March 19, 2012
Those who work in public safety consider themselves part of a brotherhood. But for the purposes of organ donation, a brother in blue may not be quite family enough, as Officer Gene Cassidy is finding out. Cassidy was shot in the head 27 years ago in West Baltimore, and though he survived, he contracted Hepatitis C during a blood transfusion and now has end-stage cirrhosis. Cassidy's deteriorating condition was profiled by "The Wire" creator David Simon in a March 11 article in The Baltimore Sun, with the call put out that someone could help by donating half of their liver.
NEWS
By Frederick N. Rasmussen, The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Sun reporter | November 2, 2010
Dr. Hayden G. "Bud" Braine, an internationally known figure and pioneer in the field of blood cell transfusion and in the treatment of patients suffering from leukemia, died Saturday from complications of dementia at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Monkton resident was 67. "Bud was an outstanding oncologist and established at Hopkins one of the first hemapheresis unit programs in the country. He was a great guy, compassionate and will be missed," said Dr. Richard J. "Rick" Jones, professor and director of bone marrow transplants at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
NEWS
By Erika Niedowski and Erika Niedowski,SUN STAFF | January 29, 2004
A woman treated last year at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center filed a malpractice claim against the hospital yesterday, saying an intern had "negligently" cut an artery in her neck while trying to establish intravenous access. According to the lawsuit, Dezirea M. Claxton of Baltimore visited Bayview's emergency department Nov. 5 and was admitted for further tests and treatment. Several days later, two physicians examined the 49-year-old in her room and said they had to place a catheter in a vein in her neck because they couldn't use those in her arms.
NEWS
By Robyn Suriano and Robyn Suriano,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | October 29, 2002
Federal officials confirmed yesterday for the first time that West Nile can be transmitted through blood transfusions, underscoring the need for a test to screen donated blood for the potentially deadly virus. Experimental tests may be ready as early as next summer, but in the meantime, the Food and Drug Administration is urging blood banks to question donors more thoroughly and quickly remove suspected blood from their shelves. The topic of West Nile drew a large crowd yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Blood Banks, being held this week in Orlando.
NEWS
By Donna Abel and Donna Abel,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | February 5, 1999
WE ALL KNOW how important blood donations are in saving human lives, but did you ever wonder what happens when animals need blood transfusions?Just like people, animals undergoing surgery or that are injured need blood in medical emergencies.Animals needing transfusions can only accept blood from the same species, and healthy donors are wanted to give blood for the many patients that need it.Belquest Kennels invites your pet to join the Belquest dogs that have been donating through the Eastern Blood Bank since 1995.