Last week, NHS England Blood and Transplant issued an amber alert for blood shortage. This means that blood supplies have fallen to critically low levels - the NHS usually has 6 days' worth of blood to use for operations and transfusions but currently, we are at 3.1 days, with O-type blood at less than 2 days supply.
This is particularly concerning because O blood groups are in high demand for two main reasons: firstly, O-negative blood can be given to anyone (the ‘universal donor’), which is critical for emergencies when a person’s blood type is often not known. Secondly, O-positive is the most common blood type among the UK population, and these people can only receive O-type blood (as they have antibodies against antigens type A and type B blood cells).
Red blood cells can only be stored for 35 days, therefore there is a constant need for donations. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to the blood shortage, for example, staff and donors becoming unwell, as well as changes in people’s general attitudes towards going outside and visiting medical centres.
Blood is needed for surgeries, therefore the shortage will have an impact on when patients can have elective (non-urgent). This is bound to increase the huge waiting list for hospital treatment and operations in England, currently at 6.84 (roughly 1 in 8 people).
Blood is also needed for donations for blood replacement therapy, which is a treatment for some blood (haematologic) diseases. An example is sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder where red blood cells are unusually shaped and can block blood vessels. This causes patients to suffer sickle cell ‘crises’, which are excruciatingly painful and can lead to strokes, organ damage and even death. In the UK, sickle cell is the fastest-growing genetic condition and 250 blood donations are required every day to meet the demands for blood replacement therapy. Sickle cell is more prevalent in people of Black heritage and evidence shows that patients respond best to transfusions from people with similar genetic backgrounds (particularly the Ro blood subtype which is at a much higher prevalence in the black community compared to the wider population). Hence more Black and ethnic minority donors are urgently needed to meet the increasing demand, even more so in the current shortage.
For doctors and other healthcare professionals, the blood shortage means that they will have to change the way they practice. The British Society for Haematology has advised that doctors focus on the appropriate use of patient blood management, which includes only giving blood when needed and reducing the need for blood (by providing alternative treatments and therapies where possible).
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