House holds hearing on blood safety and supply

October 6, 1999
Web posted at: 5:18 p.m. EST (2118 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House Commerce Oversight and Investigations subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday morning on the safety and availability of the nation's blood supply.

A recent report by the National Blood Data Resource Center (NBDRC) projected that the demand for blood will outstrip supply next year.

But last month, the General Accounting Office concluded that, "while there is cause for concern about shortages of certain blood types in certain regions, the blood supply as a whole is not in crisis."

Supplies may tighten, though. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the country's blood supply, is considering a recommendation by the Food and Drug Administration to bar donations from people who spent six months or more in Britain between 1980 and 1996.

FDA based its recommendation on concerns over the possible transmissibility of a human form of "mad cow disease" which has been contracted by 43 people -- 41 in the Britain. If the recommendation is adopted, blood donations would be reduced by about 2.2 percent, the agency predicted.

Aging population, declining donations

The NBDRC's projection of a shortage next year is based on an overall 5.5 percent decrease in blood donations from 1994 to 1997 and a 3.7 percent increase in amount of blood transfused during those years.

The American Red Cross reported this summer that some regions had less than one day's supply at one point. A 1998 NBDRC survey found 8.6 percent of hospitals indicated that elective surgeries had been canceled on one or more days in 1997 due to blood shortages.

As the population ages, the shortage may worsen. People over age 65 receive twice the amount of blood per capita as younger people.

About 8 million volunteers donate about 12 million units of whole blood each year. Though 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate, only about 5 percent do.

Stopping transfusion mistakes

Last year, there were 85 transfusion-related deaths in the United States. Half of them were among people who got the wrong blood type, 10 percent were blamed on bacterial contamination, and 23 percent were from other forms of contamination.

Hepatitis C and AIDS are just two of the diseases that can be transmitted thru blood.

"Our nation's blood supply is safer than it's ever been, and it's getting safer as we speak," said Dr. David Satcher, U.S. surgeon general, who testified before the subcommittee.

The inspector general's office has called for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve blood safety standards. The FDA said it would but hasn't yet proposed any changes and now says it won't do so until 2001.

Congressman Thomas Bliley, Republican from Virginia and chairman of the House Commerce Committee, says he doesn't want to wait until 2001. He called on Satcher to model the error and accident reporting of the aviation field -- when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) files reports on near misses.

In the airline industry, when an accident is avoided a report must be filed. In the medical field, when an accident is avoided no report is filed. Reports are only filed when an accident occurs. The congressman would like to see documentation of all near accidents, even the ones that are resolved.

"As we have learned, a well-designed reporting plan is an effective safety management tool," Bliley said. "For example, in the field of domestic airline safety, aviation reporting systems have helped contribute to a safety record of no fatalities in 1998."

Medical Correspondent Steve Salvatore contributed to this report.