| We developed a transfusion wristband which can reduce fatal haemolytic transfusion reaction due to clerical error. We also developed a new Phenotype Matched Blood System (PMBS) to replace the current pre-transfusion antibody screening system. This will provide perfectly matched blood to patients without delay, particularly to those with autoantibodies or multiple alloantibodies. Moreover, there will be no more 72 hours limit and hence no more repeated antibody screening following transfusion. With the use of PMBS, Red Cross can specifically appeal for public with certain blood groups to donate to increase the efficiency. All of this will enhance the transfusion safety as well as saving manpower (reduce 50–90% of the blood bank staff) and hospital expenses up to hundred millions HK dollars annually.; Cord blood transplantation has been shown to have higher engraftment rates and relatively low GVHD compared with bone marrow transplant. The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion service had set up the first Cord Blood Bank in Hong Kong, and we had successfully performed the first non-myeloablative cord blood transplantation with two-antigen mismatched in two adult with severe aplastic anemia with the cord blood that harvested and cryopreserved in the cord blood bank.; Fatal transfusion associated graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been observed in immunocompetent patients transfused with blood unit from donors who are homozygous for a shared haplotype with the recipient (the P-into F1 rodent models). Immunocompetent cells from the homozygous donor are recognized by the recipient's immunoreactive cells as “self” and therefore will not be rejected. However, the homozygous donor immune cells will consider the heterozygous host cells as “foreign” and mounted a one-way graft-versus-host attack against recipient skin, gut, liver and bone marrow, causing pancytopenia and high mortality.; We successfully performed the first stem cell transplantation without fatal GVHD in a patient with relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia, using peripheral blood stem cells from his HLA-homozygous brother (HLA A2, B46, DRB1 901) who shared a haplotype with the patient (HLA A2, B46, 75, DRB1 901, 12). This implied that several donors homozygous for a few common haplotypes can supply stem cells for numerous recipients who share the common haplotypes, particularly for those born of mixed race marriage. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
