Blood Transfusion Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Blood Transfusion, including details on blood donation, blood types, leukemia.

Current issues in transfusion medicine in Norway.

Flesland O, Seghatchian J

Blood Bank, Asker and Baerum Hospital and Institute of Immunology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Postboks 83, NO-1309 Rud, Norway. oyestein.flesland@sabhf.no

Important current issues in transfusion medicine in Norway are discussed. Current patient legislation specifically defines blood donors as patients, and blood and blood products are defined as drugs. Donor selection is controversial, especially deferral of all persons born in, or having lived for more than one year in areas with high prevalence of infections that are transmitted by blood. The threshold for becoming a blood donor is high, but registered donors donate frequently, e.g. 2,4 whole blood donations per year on average. Some blood banks have specialized in multicomponent aphereis technology, in particular collection of two units of red cells.

Published 1 March 2005 in Transfus Apher Sci, 32(1): 7-10.
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