Blood Safety Webinar: Reducing Septic Reactions from Platelet Transfusions
LAKE ZURICH, Ill., December 8 – Fenwal Inc. announced today it is hosting a live, online educational lecture on January 12, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time featuring Richard J. Benjamin, M.D., Ph.D, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross; and Michael R. Jacobs, M.D., Ph.D, professor of Pathology and Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The two distinguished experts will review recently published data on a day-of-transfusion lab test that can improve the safety of platelet transfusions. The study1 appears in the December issue of the peer-reviewed journal Transfusion.
The lecture is designed for medical professionals, especially hematologists, oncologists and those who work in hospital and outpatient transfusion medicine.
Nearly 2 million platelet doses are transfused annually in the United States. Based on testing 27,000 apheresis platelet transfusions at 18 U.S. hospital sites, the study shows that 1 in 3,000 platelet transfusions are contaminated with high levels of bacteria despite prior culture testing following platelet collection. Like other health care-associated infections (HAI), transfusing contaminated platelets can be a preventable risk.
Recent news reports of patient fatalities due to septic reactions from bacterially contaminated platelet transfusions highlight the need for greater safety measures. This webinar will address the risk and review data that demonstrate the value of day-of-transfusion testing for detection of bacterial contamination in platelets.
Topic: Detection of bacterial contamination in prestorage culture-negative, apheresis platelets on day of issue with the Verax Platelet PGD® test.
| Topic: |
Detection of bacterial contamination in prestorage culture-negative, apheresis platelets on day of issue with the Verax Platelet PGD® test |
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| Date: |
Thurs., Jan. 12, 2012 |
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| Time: |
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time |
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| Presenters: |
Michael R. Jacobs, M.D., Ph.D, Professor of Pathology and Medicine, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center
Richard Benjamin, M.D., Ph.D, Chief Medical Officer, American Red Cross |
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| Registration: |
www.fenwalinc.com/Verax |
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The Verax Platelet PGD® test is a rapid test for bacterial contamination in platelets that is performed within 24 hours of transfusion, and can detect contaminated units missed by culture tests following collection. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently cleared new labeling for the test that identifies it as a safety measure.
The Verax Platelet PGD® test was developed by Verax Biomedical of Worcester, Mass., and is marketed and sold globally by Fenwal Inc. of Lake Zurich, Ill. The Verax Platelet PGD® test is the only rapid test for the detection of bacteria in platelets that is cleared by the FDA and CE Marked in Europe.
About FenwalFenwal, Inc. is a global medical technology company focused on improving transfusion medicine through unique expertise in blood separation, collection, filtration, storage and transfusion. The company offers a broad range of products and services for the automated and manual collection of blood and blood components. Fenwal products and advanced collection and separation technologies are used to help treat patients on six continents. Fenwal, Inc. is based in Lake Zurich, Illinois. For more information about Fenwal, or the Verax PGD test, please visit
www.fenwalinc.com.