Well, lots of information for this Sunday. Thought I would share with
you. It may be of some interest in our pursuit to be educated in ways
and means to combat cancer and other major diseases and conditions. HOpe
this information benefits.
God Bless
marty auslander
Government of UK Announces Decision to Remove Leukocytes from All Blood
and
Blood Products
EAST HILLS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 1998--
United Kingdom joins many European countries in requirement to filter
all
blood, states Pall Corporation, the world leader in filtration
technology
The United Kingdom announced its decision to require leukocyte (white
blood
cell) reduction of all units of blood and blood products derived from
whole
blood prior to transfusion into a patient. In a statement released
today, the
Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the National Health Service, Jeremy
Metters,
said, "Blood in the UK remains very safe and leukodepletion will make it
safer." The United Kingdom joins Austria, France, Ireland, Norway, and
Portugal, where leukocyte reduction by pre-filtration is already
required or
being implemented to protect the public health and safety, according to
Pall
Corporation, which applauded the decision.
Leukocyte filtration reduces white blood cells and the contaminants they
carry. The UK decision was made primarily to protect its blood supply
from
possible contamination by a new variant of Creutzfeld Jakob Disease
(nvCJD),
which may be transmitted from one person to another by blood
transfusion.
nvCJD is always fatal. Benefits of Leukocyte Reduction
"The decision of the UK to filter all blood to remove the white cells is
a
major step forward in protecting the safety of the blood supply," said
Eric
Krasnoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pall Corporation.
"There
have already been 27 confirmed deaths from the terrible new disease,
nvCJD.
There are 25 known human viruses that reside solely in white cells.
Filtration
is an important line of defense against these diseases and, perhaps, the
next
as yet undiscovered virus to appear in the blood supply.
"It is critical for the United States to move quickly to adopt universal
blood
filtration," Mr. Krasnoff continued. "Currently about 17% of the blood
is
filtered in the US ... often for the sickest patients. The benefits of
filtration should be extended to all of us now."
Transfusions with blood from donors other than the patient (called
allogeneic
transfusion) are associated with a wide variety of adverse effects. The
leukocyte component of blood has been identified as a potent mediator of
serious clinical complications, including: pathogen transmission, immune
suppression, and platelet refractoriness.
The 25 known infectious agents -- both viral and bacterial -- are
carried in
the blood, yet donor blood is screened for only a few of them. Even the
best
screening methods are imperfect. This is important since a single
donation of
contaminated blood can infect many people. Many viruses are associated
exclusively with leukocytes. White blood cells can serve as reservoirs
and
carriers of viruses and other infectious agents, including
cytomegalovirus
(CMV), Human T-cell Lymphotropic virus (HTLV), Epstein- Barr virus
(EBV), and
others. Leukocyte reduction has been frequently shown to reduce the
number
(load) of viruses and microorganisms in blood components. Pall s
leukocyte
reduction filters reduce the risk of transfusion transmission of those
cell-
associated pathogens.
There is increasing evidence that blood transfusions have a major impact
on
the immune system of patients undergoing surgery. Studies have shown
that
leukocyte reduction reduces transfusion-associated immune suppression
and
helps protect patients from post-surgical infection, reducing both
morbidity
and mortality. This also helps decrease the length of hospital stay and
significantly decreases hospital costs.
Cancer patients, including leukemia and bone marrow transplant, who
require
platelet transfusion as a critical part of their treatment, can develop
antibodies to their transfusion. It has been shown that leukocytes are
responsible for the induction of these antibodies resulting in
refractoriness
(or rejection) to the transfusion. Filtration of leukocytes is a
well-proven
technique to help prevent this life-threatening complication, while also
reducing the overall utilization of blood products and associated costs.
nvCJD and Blood: Possible Human-to-Human Transmission
There have been 27 reported cases of new variant Creutzfeld-Jakob
Disease in
the United Kingdom. All of the victims have died. No cases to date have
been
reported in the United States. Both nvCJD and CJD are considered
transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies (TSE).
There has been increasing concern over the possible transmission of TSEs
through blood products. Studies have shown that B lymphocytes (a type of
leukocyte or white blood cell) may be a vector for infection. For this
reason,
many countries are taking the precautionary measure of filtering white
blood
cells from all blood to be used for transfusion. Blood Filtration in the
United States
In the United States, about 12 million units of blood are collected each
year
for the one in 20 people who will need a transfusion in their lifetime.
Some
60 to 70 percent of platelet units and 20 percent of red blood cell
units are
pre-filtered by individual hospitals, which have made the decision to
provide
this extra measure of protection to their patients. Until recently, only
patients considered at high risk were given filtered blood. Today, more
and
more hospitals are converting to 100 percent leukocyte reduction by
filtration. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Blood
Safety
Committee and Congress are also reviewing the need to enhance the safety
of
the U.S. blood supply in relationship to new and emerging infectious
agents.
About Pall
Pall Corporation is a leader in filtration technology with the broadest
filtration and separations capabilities in the world. The company
develops and
manufactures filters that are used by a diverse, worldwide customer
base,
primarily in health care, aeropower, and fluid processing.
In health care, Pall's largest business segment, Pall filters are found
in
many aspects of medical and hospital practice, as well as in
pharmaceutical
manufacturing, making a valuable contribution to patient protection and
raising the quality of patient care. Pall Corporation believes that all
patients requiring a blood transfusion should be provided with the
information
they need to make an informed choice including a discussion with their
physician on risks and benefits and transfusion options.
Pall Corporation, with annual sales over $1 billion, is based in East
Hills,
New York, and employs 9,000 people throughout the world. The Company's
shares
are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (PLL) and the London Stock
Exchange
(0668260).
For more information on leukocyte reduction or for the booklet, "Knowing
Your
Options," please visit the consumer information web site underwritten by
Pall
Corporation at http://www.bloodtransfusion.com.
CONTACT:
Pall Corporation, East Hills
Jeremy Hayward-Surry
------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an automatically-generated notice. If you'd like to be removed
from the mailing list, please visit the Medicine-On-Line Discussion Forum
at <http://www.meds.com/con_faq.html>, or send an email message to:
majordomo@lists.meds.com
with the subject line blank and the body of the message containing the line:
unsubscribe mol-cancer your-email-address
where the phrase your-email-address is replaced with your actual email
address.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
