Anemia Near Delivery is Prevalent, Pernicious, and Associated with Lower Neighbourhood Income: An Analysis of Over 50 000 Pregnancies.

Objectives: Anemia in pregnancy has negative impacts on maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and has been described as an issue of health equity. The primary aim of our study was to describe rates of anemia near delivery and assess whether this correlates with neighbourhood-level income status.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant individuals delivering from January 2012 through December 2022 at two large academic centres.

Learning From Clinical Supervisor Practice Variability: Exploring Medical Resident and Fellow Experiences and Interpretations.

Purpose: Clinical practice variability is characterized by 2 or more clinicians making different treatment decisions despite encountering a similar case. This study explores how medical residents and fellows experience and interpret intersupervisor clinical practice variability and how these variations influence learning.

Method: Seventeen senior residents or fellows in internal medicine, hematology, or thrombosis medicine (postgraduate year 3 or above) participated in semistructured interviews after a clinical rotation in thrombosis medicine from December 2019 to March 2021.

Optimizing Informed Consent Discussions: Developing a Narrative for Transfusion Consent.

Ensuring patient informed consent is a key tenet of modern medicine. Although transfusion of blood products is among the most common medical procedures performed in hospitalized patients, there is evidence that informed consent for transfusion is at times incomplete, poorly understood, hurried, and/or inaccurate. This study aimed to develop a narrative that can be used as a framework for practicing physicians and for educational purposes to optimize the process for obtaining informed consent for blood transfusion.

Impact of iron supplementation on patient outcomes for women with abnormal uterine bleeding: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), which includes heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), is a common condition placing women at increased risk for developing iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Depletion of iron stores has negative implications on physical, social, and emotional health, as well as quality of life. Iron supplements are safe, effective, and readily available, while red blood cell (RBC) transfusions have inherent risks including infectious and immune reactions.

Improving Medical Education in Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Canada: Standards and Limitations.

The paradigm of medical education is evolving with the introduction of competency-based medical education (CBME) and it is crucial that residency programs adapt. In this paper, we provide an overview of the current status of medical education in Hematology in Canada including models of training, assessment methods, anticipated challenges, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will also discuss additional training that can be pursued after a Hematology residency, with a particular focus On Transfusion Medicine as it was one of the first programs to implement a competency-based curriculum.

Babesia microti in a Canadian blood donor and lookback in a red blood cell recipient.

Background And Objectives: We describe the third documented case of autochthonous human babesiosis in Canada and the second in a Canadian blood donor.

Materials And Methods: Multiple laboratory investigations were carried out on the donor and the immunocompromised recipient of an associated, potentially infectious red blood cell product.

Results: The donor had not travelled except for outdoor exposure in south-eastern Manitoba, followed by illness and hospital admission.

The safety of COVID-19 convalescent plasma donation: A multi-institutional donor hemovigilance study.

Background: Although the safety and therapeutic efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) has been extensively evaluated, the safety of CCP donation has not been explored in a multi-institutional context.

Study Design And Methods: Nine blood collection organizations (BCOs) participated in a multi-institutional donor hemovigilance effort to assess the safety of CCP donation. Donor adverse events (DAEs) were defined according to the Standard for Surveillance of Complications Related to Blood Donation, and severity was assessed using the severity grading tool.

Teaching bone marrow procedures at pelvic and sternal sites: a high fidelity anatomy simulation.

The bone marrow aspirate and biopsy procedure are fundamental to the diagnosis of many hematologic pathologies. We describe a hands-on, anatomy-based workshop that allows learners to practice bone marrow procedures on cadavers. Notably, participants learned how to perform sternal aspirates: a procedure rarely performed in real-life practice.

Convalescent plasma for adults with acute COVID-19 respiratory illness (CONCOR-1): study protocol for an international, multicentre, randomized, open-label trial.

Background: Convalescent plasma has been used for numerous viral diseases including influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome and Ebola virus; however, evidence to support its use is weak. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus responsible for the 2019 global pandemic of COVID-19 community acquired pneumonia. We have undertaken a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A prospective multi-faceted interventional study of blood bank technologist screening of red blood cell transfusion orders: The START study.

Background: Transfusion of red blood cells (RBC) is a common procedure, which when prescribed inappropriately can result in adverse patient outcomes. This study sought to determine the impact of a multi-faceted intervention on unnecessary RBC transfusions at hospitals with a baseline appropriateness below 90%.

Study Design And Methods: A prospective medical chart audit of RBC transfusions was conducted across 15 hospitals.

Evidence-Based Minireview: The role of IV iron in management of patients with iron-deficiency anemia presenting to the emergency department.

A 45-year-old woman with a history of uterine fibroids and abnormal uterine bleeding presents to the emergency department (ED) with presyncope and weakness. A gynecology consultation for definitive management was requested. The complete blood count demonstrates a hemoglobin (Hb) of 6.

Management of iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency (ID) affects billions of people worldwide and remains the leading cause of anemia with significant negative impacts on health. Our approach to ID and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) involves three steps (I3): (1) identification of ID/IDA, (2) investigation of and management of the underlying etiology of ID, and (3) iron repletion. Iron repletion options include oral and intravenous (IV) iron formulations.

Sex-mismatched red blood cell transfusions and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Objectives: Selection of a compatible red blood cell (RBC) unit does not include matching for donor sex. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to summarize the evidence examining the impact of sex-mismatched RBC transfusion on recipient mortality.

Materials And Methods: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception up to 23 November 2018.

Transfusion Camp: a prospective evaluation of a transfusion education program for multispecialty postgraduate trainees.

Background: The optimal method of providing transfusion medicine (TM) education has not been determined. Transfusion Camp was established in 2012 at the University of Toronto as a centrally delivered TM education program for postgraduate trainees. The impact of Transfusion Camp on knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behavior was evaluated.