Accredited Lectures

In this lecture Dr. Susan L. Stramer, PhD, MS, presents a continuation of the evolution, impact, and future directions of nucleic acid testing (NAT) for blood donor safety. The focus of this lecture is NAT plus competing technologies directed towards Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) agents. She begins by highlighting the agents that will be discussed and their current and evolving mitigation strategies. Strategies include variations of selective testing using antibody methods, modifications of NAT depending on the agent’s epidemiology including seasonal testing, focused testing and pool sizes used, red cell parasites that require red cell lysis followed by NAT, NAT multiplexing for multiple agent detection; alternatives to NAT including leukoreduction for leukocyte-associated agents, and pathogen reduction. Discussed are the agents for which NAT has been evaluated worldwide including: hepatitis E virus (HEV), West Nile virus (WNV), Babesia, Plasmodium, parvovirus, human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and bacteria. Dr. Stramer then discusses the international use and the agent-specific expansion of NAT. Lastly, Dr. Stramer discusses the impact of pathogen reduction and potential for the streamlining of donation screening strategies leading to the eventual co-existence of pathogen reduction and NAT.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 1.0 hour

Iron plays a vital role in the human body, primarily in oxygen transport via hemoglobin and storage in ferritin, a protein that reflects iron reserves. Ferritin testing is a key tool for assessing iron status, especially in populations at risk of deficiency. In this lecture, Dr. Laura Infanti describes the prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia, with a focus on blood donors, and how donors are especially vulnerable due to iron loss during donation. To address iron loss, ferritin testing in blood donors has become increasingly important, enabling ferritin-based donor management strategies that help maintain donor health and ensure a sustainable blood supply. Final considerations emphasize the need for ongoing monitoring, education, and tailored interventions to balance donor safety with blood collection needs.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 0.5 hours

In this lecture by Dr. Mary Rodgers, it’s critical that we stay one step ahead of infectious disease threats as known viruses evolve and new pathogens emerge faster than ever before. Abbott has expanded on decades of viral surveillance for HIV and hepatitis to identify, track, and respond more quickly to these threats through the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition. Join us to learn more about this first-of-its-kind global network that is dedicated to ending current epidemics and helping to prevent future pandemics, and the impact we’ve had in helping provide the healthcare community confidence for today and protection and tomorrow.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: P.A.C.E. NOT AVAILABLE | CPD 0.28.22

This lecture by Dr. Neil Blumberg, MD, demonstrates that leukoreduction of blood transfusions has been shown in randomized trials or high-quality observational trials to reduce immunologic complications such as febrile/rigor transfusion reactions, post-operative infections, cardiac surgery mortality, platelet transfusion refractoriness, cytomegalovirus transmission, and complications of the premature newborn such as retinopathy. Observational data also preliminarily suggest that the occurrence of TRALI (acute lung injury) and TACO (congestive heart failure), graft versus host disease, red cell alloimmunization, and post-transfusion purpura may be mitigated. Universal leukoreduction was introduced worldwide, except in the USA, about the years 1998-2000. Data suggest that while blood transfusion service costs increase, there are substantial overall savings to health care systems through decreased complications and length of stay.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 0.5 hours

In this lecture, we explore the transformative role of Extended Reality (XR) technologies—particularly Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR)—in modern pain management. Presented by Dr. Rohan Jotwani, an interventional pain specialist and co-director of the XRAIL Lab at Cornell University, the session highlights cutting-edge research, clinical applications, and future directions for XR in procedural medicine.

• Key topics include:
• The evolving definition and classification of pain (nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic)
• The science behind VR therapy: immersion, presence, and interactivity
• Clinical use cases: burn care, labor and delivery, pediatric IV placement, and chronic pain
• Evidence from randomized trials, fMRI studies, and systematic reviews
• The impact of MR on blood donation experiences using HoloLens 2
• Long-term outcomes of in-home VR programs for chronic low back pain

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 0.5 hours

In this lecture, Dr. Vincenzo De Angelis, Director of the Italian National Blood Centre (CNS) describes the organization and provides an overview of the collection of human plasma in the Italian national blood establishments and of its contract-manufacturing fractionation into medicinal products (PDMPs). His presentation summarizes the results of Italian programme for Country self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicinal PDMPs and for the international cooperation in the field of PDMPs. The presentation also gives insight into the prevalence and incidence of transfusion-transmitted infections of interest for the plasma master-file of the Italian plasma, submitted to the European Medicine Agency (EMA). Finally, recent epidemiological data on B19V infection within the Italian donor population are reviewed, and precautionary recommendations for preventing transfusion-transmitted B19V infections drafted by the Italian National Blood Centre are presented.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 0.5 hours

In this lecture, Dr. Susan L. Stramer, PhD, MS, presents a comprehensive overview of the evolution, impact, and future directions of nucleic acid testing (NAT) in blood safety. She begins by outlining the historical context of NAT’s introduction in the United States in 1999, initially implemented for HIV and HCV to enhance blood safety by enabling earlier detection of infections compared to serological methods.

Dr. Stramer highlights the significant reduction in transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) due to NAT, with current risks estimated at less than 2 per million units. Over time, NAT has expanded to include detection of other pathogens such as West Nile Virus (WNV), Zika Virus (ZIKV), and Trypanosoma cruzi.

The primary advantage of NAT lies in its ability to detect infectious agents before antibodies become detectable, thereby narrowing the diagnostic window. The lecture also explores the technological evolution of NAT, including methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). Additional considerations discussed include sample pooling strategies, pool sizes, and other operational aspects that influence the sensitivity and efficiency of NAT in blood screening.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 0.5 hours

In this lecture, Professor Mike Murphy will share the Oxford experience with implementing electronic systems to support blood inventory management and transfusion practice. He will discuss the need for these improvements and describe the use of information technology at Oxford. Professor Murphy concludes with a discussion of other opportunities to implement information technology in transfusion medicine practice.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS: 0.5 hours