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Blood Donations Needed
Dr. Tina Ipe discusses the need for blood donations during the pandemic.
Featured Speaker:
Tina Ipe, MD, MPH
Tina Ipe, M.D., M.P.H., is an Associate Professor and Medical Director for the UAMS Blood Bank and Transfusion Division. Dr. Ipe received her medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed her residency in clinical pathology and fellowship in transfusion medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining UAMS, Dr. Ipe served as Medical Director of Donor Services and Associate Medical Director of Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Transcription:
Blood Donations Needed
Bill Klaproth: Blood donations are needed, especially during this current COVID-19 crisis and healthcare professionals want to remind you that giving blood is safe even as we are social distancing. So let's find out more with Dr. Tina Ipe, Division Director for Transfusion Medicine Services at UAMS. This is UAMS Health Talk from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I'm Bill Klaproth. Dr. Ipe, thanks for your time. So first off, can you remind us why it's important to give blood?
Dr. Ipe: So the demand poor blood in our hospital, it's always very high and as you know, blood is really a lifesaving source at whereby there is really no other alternative. So if an individual does not donate blood, and we don't have this life saving resource available for patients who are either bleeding or have a medical condition that requires blood.
Host: Right. I love how you put that, a life saving resource. But right now with COVID-19 and social distancing and things like that, is it safe to give blood right now and what levels of precaution have been made in light of social distancing?
Dr. Ipe: Sure. As I mentioned, the demand for blood is always present regardless of, you know, the pandemics that we're facing right now with COVID-19, it is important to give blood because the donor centers where blood is being collected are following social distancing rules. They are asking donors that are donating to make an appointment so that they can maintain social distance. They also keep social, you know, the appropriate distance between donors when they're actually donating in the donor center. They disinfect all surfaces that are not only used by the donor but also, that are used by the staff. In addition, prior to entering most donor centers, there is a temperature check not only done at the donor entering but also of the staff and train the donor center.
Host: Yeah, that's really good and important to have those precautions, but also important to remember that blood is needed right now. So how much blood do you estimate is needed for a typical day at UAMS?
Dr. Ipe: So we use roughly about 80 units of red blood cells at UAMS. To put into perspective the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is roughly a 350 bed hospital. So we would be considered mid range. And given that, we still have a lot of patients that require blood on a daily basis because 80 units of red blood cells is quite significant. And this is despite the fact that most of our practitioners, our surgeons, our nurses, they are very astute in providing blood and really only provide blood to patients that meet certain criteria. And despite this, we go to about 80 units a day.
Host: And then how many days worth of blood is typically on hand at UAMS?
Dr. Ipe: So we typically have about a day to a day and a half of product available on our shelves. I say a day, two, a day and a half because it really depends on how many bleeding patients or what are all of the different surgeries that are happening in the hospital.
Host: Wow. A day and a half supply. So you really need that blood replenished on a frequent basis.
Dr. Ipe: That is absolutely right. Our blood supplier is the Arkansas Blood Institute and we belie on them very heavily. There's constant exchange of information where we are requesting additional units from them based on what is present on our shelves and the potential surgeries or cases that are going to happen. So we are constantly reviewing our shelves. Every shift, so we have roughly about three shifts every day at our hospital in the blood bank. And at each shift we review how much product we have on our shelf and then order appropriately.
Host: Right. So you just can't turn on the faucet and Hey, there's blood, you need donations. So let's talk about donating blood. Who can donate and what do they need to do before going to donate blood?
Dr. Ipe: Sure. So donation is a gift, right? And so we would appreciate anyone who is healthy and asymptomatic, meaning that they don't have a fever right now to consider going and donating. The donor center or places that collects blood do have strict criteria. But you know, that is for them to determine it. You know, as long as you are healthy and you are asymptomatic, we would appreciate you making an appointment with the donor center and then going through that process for you to determine whether you are truly eligible to give blood. There's a lot of criteria that one has to follow, but we will put that onus on the plate that is collecting it, rather than the individuals that are out of the goodness of their heart going to donate blood.
Host: And we do appreciate those people that do that. And if you can donate blood, please consider it, especially during this COVID-19 crisis. We really would appreciate it. And Dr. Ipe, thank you so much for your time. This has really been informative.
Dr. Ipe: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I really appreciate it.
Host: That's Dr. Tina Ipe division director for transfusion medicine services at UAMS. And for more information, please visit UAMShealth.com. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is UAMS Health Talk. Thanks for listening.
Blood Donations Needed
Bill Klaproth: Blood donations are needed, especially during this current COVID-19 crisis and healthcare professionals want to remind you that giving blood is safe even as we are social distancing. So let's find out more with Dr. Tina Ipe, Division Director for Transfusion Medicine Services at UAMS. This is UAMS Health Talk from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I'm Bill Klaproth. Dr. Ipe, thanks for your time. So first off, can you remind us why it's important to give blood?
Dr. Ipe: So the demand poor blood in our hospital, it's always very high and as you know, blood is really a lifesaving source at whereby there is really no other alternative. So if an individual does not donate blood, and we don't have this life saving resource available for patients who are either bleeding or have a medical condition that requires blood.
Host: Right. I love how you put that, a life saving resource. But right now with COVID-19 and social distancing and things like that, is it safe to give blood right now and what levels of precaution have been made in light of social distancing?
Dr. Ipe: Sure. As I mentioned, the demand for blood is always present regardless of, you know, the pandemics that we're facing right now with COVID-19, it is important to give blood because the donor centers where blood is being collected are following social distancing rules. They are asking donors that are donating to make an appointment so that they can maintain social distance. They also keep social, you know, the appropriate distance between donors when they're actually donating in the donor center. They disinfect all surfaces that are not only used by the donor but also, that are used by the staff. In addition, prior to entering most donor centers, there is a temperature check not only done at the donor entering but also of the staff and train the donor center.
Host: Yeah, that's really good and important to have those precautions, but also important to remember that blood is needed right now. So how much blood do you estimate is needed for a typical day at UAMS?
Dr. Ipe: So we use roughly about 80 units of red blood cells at UAMS. To put into perspective the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is roughly a 350 bed hospital. So we would be considered mid range. And given that, we still have a lot of patients that require blood on a daily basis because 80 units of red blood cells is quite significant. And this is despite the fact that most of our practitioners, our surgeons, our nurses, they are very astute in providing blood and really only provide blood to patients that meet certain criteria. And despite this, we go to about 80 units a day.
Host: And then how many days worth of blood is typically on hand at UAMS?
Dr. Ipe: So we typically have about a day to a day and a half of product available on our shelves. I say a day, two, a day and a half because it really depends on how many bleeding patients or what are all of the different surgeries that are happening in the hospital.
Host: Wow. A day and a half supply. So you really need that blood replenished on a frequent basis.
Dr. Ipe: That is absolutely right. Our blood supplier is the Arkansas Blood Institute and we belie on them very heavily. There's constant exchange of information where we are requesting additional units from them based on what is present on our shelves and the potential surgeries or cases that are going to happen. So we are constantly reviewing our shelves. Every shift, so we have roughly about three shifts every day at our hospital in the blood bank. And at each shift we review how much product we have on our shelf and then order appropriately.
Host: Right. So you just can't turn on the faucet and Hey, there's blood, you need donations. So let's talk about donating blood. Who can donate and what do they need to do before going to donate blood?
Dr. Ipe: Sure. So donation is a gift, right? And so we would appreciate anyone who is healthy and asymptomatic, meaning that they don't have a fever right now to consider going and donating. The donor center or places that collects blood do have strict criteria. But you know, that is for them to determine it. You know, as long as you are healthy and you are asymptomatic, we would appreciate you making an appointment with the donor center and then going through that process for you to determine whether you are truly eligible to give blood. There's a lot of criteria that one has to follow, but we will put that onus on the plate that is collecting it, rather than the individuals that are out of the goodness of their heart going to donate blood.
Host: And we do appreciate those people that do that. And if you can donate blood, please consider it, especially during this COVID-19 crisis. We really would appreciate it. And Dr. Ipe, thank you so much for your time. This has really been informative.
Dr. Ipe: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I really appreciate it.
Host: That's Dr. Tina Ipe division director for transfusion medicine services at UAMS. And for more information, please visit UAMShealth.com. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is UAMS Health Talk. Thanks for listening.