[Assessment of knowledge in blood transfusion of medical staff in 14 state-run hospitals].

Unlabelled: This multi-centre study aimed to assess the knowledge in blood transfusion of medical staff in 14 state-run hospitals.

Materials And Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to all potential prescribers of blood products. It contained 35 questions concerning various subjects: blood products, immuno-haematology, prescription of blood products, transfusion practice, interpretation of the final bedside controls.

[Haemovigilance in the health care establishment: its role in pediatric transfusion].

Haemovigilance, an important step in transfusion safety, had been set up by a French law in January 1993. Application of haemovigilance in public hospitals is based on three conditions: reporting of adverse transfusion events, traceability of blood products and prevention of adverse transfusion events. The implementation of haemovigilance follows the rules given in a Ministry order dated January 1994, the first of a series including regulations about patient information, virological follow-up of transfused patients, blood product distribution.

[Blood monitoring at the dawn of the 21st century].

A NEW DISCIPLINE: On January 4, 1993, the French parliament voted a law on Blood Transfusion Safety, creating a monitoring and warning system operating through a complex network and aimed at guaranteeing permanent efficacy, safety and efficiency of blood transfusion in France. A new discipline, blood monitoring was born. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES: Basically, blood monitoring is organized around two fundamental principles: blood products trackability from the donor to the recipient and mandatory reporting of all transfusion incidents.

[Identifying hepatitis C virus by the gene amplification technique in the saliva of patients for whom the search is simultaneously negative in their serum: 9 cases].

RNA-PCR for Hepatitis C virus was positive in saliva sample of 9 patients, while it was negative in their serum. Clinical and biochemical results of these patients are presented. Saliva detection of HCV is useful for diagnostic of hepatitis, sicca syndrome.