I have spoken to many blood bank managers in the UK in the last year. It is part and parcel of what happens at events like BGS, BBTS and IBMS. There are certain themes that develop – recurring ideas that crop up over and over again – that, as a marketer, you simply cannot ignore.

One of these themes concerns internal quality control. When I ask blood bank managers what is missing in the market, what they would like to see available and what they wish Lorne would offer, the idea of a new IQC kits pops up on a regular basis. There are products out there. I am not suggesting that there is no choice at all. But when you are hoping for your staff to check their skills and use a kit to do so on a regular basis, there are two aspects that spring to mind.

First, you may not want to be using the same kit over and over again. You might not wish for your staff to be so familiar with the test that they know the answers in advance. You will also need to think about the cost. These kits are used regularly to test proficiency and they are not cheap.

Lorne has introduced a new IQC kit that deals with these two aspects. Those in the UK market that have tested it have loved just how interesting the kit is, featuring a range of cells that is a genuine change from what serologists have become used to. It also addresses the cost issue. Lorne is always interested in quality products, but it also recognises the financial pressures that exist in the NHS at present. This kit comes in at a very competitive price, which should realise genuine savings for blood banks across the UK.

You may already be familiar with turbidimetry kits. As a marketing man, I was not immediately familiar with the use of turbidimetry for the purposes of devising diagnostic kits. As a one-time student of Geology, I was familiar with the concept of turbidity, so it was to my delight to find out that they were indeed related.

Lorne are very pleased to announce the release of their first educational and instructional video. We have already had some great feedback from NGO’s and some of our distributors both of which have suggested that they would use the videos to train their current staff and any new additions to their team. The full Lorne video has been separated out in to the separate techniques used with typing blood such as slide, tube, microtitre and gel card, making it easier and faster for the viewer. Feel free to watch any of the below videos that take your interest and we would be very keen to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

I left Britain on an overcast rainy day on BA flight 81 on Nov 10th. The flight was full and despite the Ghanaian man next to me being ill and a bit of turbulence sending t my first coffee flying over my tray and clothes, the flight was uneventful. Luckily though, I had a seat right at the back of the aircraft and the back door was opened up.  I was one of the first off the flight despite almost being mowed down in the stampede to get off. I made a mental note to myself to check in online a full 24 hours before the next time in order to get a better seat.

A short bus ride later we arrived at the Arrivals building. ‘Great!’ I thought, I’m going to be one of the first through. I drifted into roughly the middle of a queue. Once through the bottleneck at the entrance, I managed to choose the slowest ‘non-national’ queue. I was intrigued to see people in other queues way behind me suddenly arrive merrily at a desk and being waved through. This gave me plenty of time to read the Public Notice message board flashing up important information. It warned visitors of fraudulent attempts to take their money in exchanges and that all trolleys were free - no money should be spent.
 
I’m not sure how it happened but I was almost one of the last from the Arrivals Hall to be processed. For the first time in my life and after many travels, I was fingerprinted at the airport and it was made sure that all ten digits were perfectly scanned lest I get into any misdemeanours. I was getting slightly worried at this point at the length of the wait my companions were having for me in arrivals since the flight landed. The time was now about 22.30 and I was originally due in at 20.30. When I finally retrieved my ‘extra heavy’ baggage (26kg due to all the paperwork I had in it) and fended off requests to push my trolley, I joined another bottleneck to push it through the exit. I had had an email from the School of Tropical Medicine Secretary to inform me that Juliet from our hotel would be waiting for me and another volunteer, Jecko from Manchester, who had arrived one hour earlier to take us back to the Forte Royal ‘hotel’.

‘Great!’ I thought. It’s only seconds before I see my name, as I pushed my trolley down the waiting line of people, but I did not. As I got to the outside, a friendly security man asked me where I was going as he could tell that I was looking to meet someone. Grateful to be ‘taken care of’, I obliged in giving him my hotel number to call but before I knew it, two other ‘friendly men’ had joined us and I was informed I had ‘ the best security’ man to help me. Feeling a bit disorientated at this point I was grateful that I was being ‘helped’. The hotel phone numbers I had been given, retrieved from my bag and given to the security man, were not being answered (I realise now it was a mobile number). I was starting to feel a bit apprehensive at this point as I had no plan B but it was suggested I go in a taxi to another hotel and they would take me to my hotel tomorrow. Thinking this would not be a good idea, I was asked what currency I had as I told them I had no local currency. ‘Dollars’, I said. That seemed fine! Then, like an angel, Juliet appeared and I was very grateful to see her. At this point, one of the men told me ‘give him some tip’ by rubbing his thumb and forefinger together and pointing towards the ‘friendly’ security guard. Juliet looked at me and said ‘I’ll take care of this’. How relieved I was to have a local with me. Jecko told me that while he was queuing at the airport, the lights had gone off. I’m glad that didn’t happen to me.

A 20 minute ride later, we arrived at the ‘hotel’ behind security gates. We had to sign a registration book with our passport details etc. which said we wouldn’t be given our keys until full payment had been made. Jecko was asked how was he going to pay but we were told the bill had been settled beforehand. However, we were still given our keys, so I’m not quite sure what that was all about.

The room was very basic and a Policy Statement sellotaped to the desk in the room had a list of rules to abide by, including another reiteration that full payment must be made before keys are handed over to the guests.
 
‘Payment is made in CASH only credit cards are NOT ACCEPTABLE.’ Huge sums of money (I wish) were to be declared at the front desk for safekeeping. Late check-out attracts 50% or full rate at management’s discretion. Guests were responsible for any damage done in their rooms TV, air conditioner or remote. All payments for the mini-bar room service should be made at front desk.

I then opened the fridge in the room to discover it was completely empty, so luckily for me there was going to be no temptation or mini-bar bill.

Last but not least, the statement suggested ‘ENJOY YOUR STAY!’

 Jecko and I had brief chat about our journey and retired despite the barking dog and crowing cockerel. In the end, I still managed to grab a few hours sleep.

The predicted shortfall in U.S. blood supplies in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was realised in eleven of the fifty states. The shortfall has been covered by all the major news networks. The reserves of critically needed blood were described as ‘low’ by CBS News and they quoted the American Red Cross who are now looking to the other thirty nine states to help make up the losses.

Some of the statistics are impressive. Each day, it takes a forty thousand people across the U.S. to keep their blood supplies going. The race is now on to bring the level of stocks back up to where they need to be. The appeal has gone out to those with O, A and B negative blood to donate.

Of course, hurricanes that happen over there tend to end up coming over here, though admittedly having lost most of their punch. It normally takes about a week or so as the tail end trundles over the North Atlantic. Mind you, this normally brings wet and windy weather (though one would be hard pushed to notice any difference at this time of year). My guess is that it will not have the same impact on our blood supplies just yet.

However, as I was writing this, I noticed that the west of the U.K. had suffered snow falls overnight. Snow can have a serious effect of blood donations but not usually this early in the winter season. A long hard snowfall, similar to two winters ago, could cause some trouble. At this stage, it is too early to tell. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

It seems that global warming can be blamed for just about anything these days. It may seem like a bit of a stretch to link global warming with a reduction in blood stocks, but it seems that the evidence is growing. Of course, it all hangs on the premise that global warming is responsible for a rise in the frequency and severity of tropical storms and hurricanes – something few climate experts would disagree with.

Tropical Storm Irene brought havoc to New York City last year. Whilst the city was busy stock - piling food and locking itself away from the elements, blood banks found their stocks running dangerously low. Blood drives had been cancelled as the winds picked up and blood bank managers across the city’s 200 hospitals held their breath as stocks dwindled. Of course, such extreme weather events not only halt the collection of blood – they are also responsible for an increase in accidents and injuries that will very often require transfusions.

As soon as the storm abated, the call went out for donors. Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s Mayor, was quick to roll up his sleeves and be pictured doing his bit. The New York Blood Centre set about re-stocking as quickly as it could and a disaster was avoided. However, if the climate scientists are correct and the U.S. and even the U.K. start to experience more frequent violent storms, the same pressures could be felt on both sides of the Atlantic.

It may be yet another consequence of global warming. As we approach another winter here in the UK and with the clocks about to leap forward an hour, thoughts might just be turning to the inevitable storms to come. It is 25 years since the great October storm of 1987 which killed 18 people in England and injured many more. If such storms really are to become more frequent, will UK blood stocks be able to cope?

For many years, emergency services have used volunteers to simulate casualties during training exercises. The use of live volunteers has gone some way to assist in the training of the Police, Fire and Medical emergency services. The problem with volunteers is that, whilst injuries can be faked, the critical life signs cannot. Now, according to the BBC, life-sized dolls will be used which can better simulate the critical signs of life.

Each doll costs £40,000 and can blink, breathe and simulate a measurable pulse and blood pressure. The doll can even ‘respond’ to any treatment with the help of a computer. It is all very clever stuff. It is yet another step forward in the training of NHS staff and it adds to the very long list of scientific achievements in the field of medicine.

The more I learn about the products that Lorne manufactures, the more I marvel at what science has achieved over the years. I was recently asked about monoclonal antibodies and I went away to ask a colleague to explain how they are produced. I already had an idea what monoclonal meant – their very ‘sameness’ comes from the fact that they are produced from identical cells that are clones of a unique parent cell. Clever stuff!