Irresponsible and responsible resource management in obstetrics.

Low budgets constrain and high budgets stimulate choices. In high-income countries, this economic reality may lead to overuse of healthcare services and pose unnecessary risks for mothers and infants. Options for improvement can be created at different levels of healthcare systems.

How to maintain blood supply during computer network breakdown: a manual backup system.

Electronic data management systems using computer network systems and client/server architecture are increasingly used in laboratories and transfusion services. Severe problems arise if there is no network access to the database server and critical functions are not available. We describe a manual backup system (MBS) developed to maintain the delivery of blood products to patients in a hospital transfusion service in case of a computer network breakdown.

Periodic alternating interface positioning to lower WBC contamination of apheresis platelet concentrates: a multicenter evaluation.

Background: A new software version of a cell separator (AS TEC 204, Fresenius) providing WBC-reduced single-donor plateletpheresis concentrates was tested.

Study Design And Methods: Dual-needle apheresis procedures (n = 621) were performed in three centers, using either fixed interface positioning (FIP) or periodic alternating interface positioning (PAIP). The other separation parameters (e.

Automated blood component collection with the MCS 3p cell separator: evaluation of three protocols for buffy coat-poor and white cell-reduced packed red cells and plasma.

Background: Automated collection of blood components with a cell separator (MCS 3p, Haemonetics), was performed according to three protocols.

Study Design And Methods: The first protocol provided 2 units of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP); and one buffy coat-poor red cell (RBC) concentrate in additive solution. The second protocol included an additional in-line filtration of the RBC in a closed system after storage at 4 degrees C for 24 hours.

A contribution to the indications for platelet transfusion and determination of its therapeutic efficacy.

The platelet count does not really reflect the true bleeding risk in chronically thrombocytopenic patients. Recently, we reported on two modifications of an in vitro bleeding test (IVBT) which appeared to be suitable for the evaluation of primary non-vascular hemostatis in thrombocytopenic and anemic patients (platelets 10-50,000/microL, hct 16-30 L/L). We report on the clinical study conducted with the IVBT modification which proved to be superior.