Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville has rescheduled some elective surgeries and said it could be forced to cancel or delay additional cases because of shortages of blood products.
Platelets are a particular concern at Saint Thomas, according to an Aug. 6 news release from the hospital, which is part of the St. Louis-based Ascension health system. Chief Clinical Officer Brian Wilcox, MD, told NBC News affiliate WNKY that the shortage is affecting hospitals nationwide as donations of blood products have fallen to a four-year summer low even as demand for transfusions holds steady.
The disruption comes as the American Red Cross declared its second national blood crisis in history July 27, with type O blood critically scarce and distributions to hospitals now limited. The shortage began building in May, when a gap widened between the amount of blood hospitals need and the amount being donated. The Red Cross is currently sending hospitals roughly 3,500 more units of blood per week than expected.
An Illinois Red Cross spokesperson told NBC News affiliate WGEM that without a constant blood supply, hospitals could be forced into situations where doctors have to choose who gets blood and who doesn’t, adding that elective surgeries that need transfusions may have to be postponed.
The strain is showing up beyond Tennessee. In Utah, an Intermountain Health spokesman told Deseret News the shortage is a national challenge hitting both urban and rural blood centers, driven in part by a summer rise in trauma volume. “As more people travel, drive, swim, bike and spend time outdoors, especially here in Utah, our hospitals see an increase in serious injuries requiring lifesaving blood transfusions,” he said.
At Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Constantine Kanakis, MD, incoming medical director of blood bank transfusion services, told PBS station WTTW a shrinking donor pool over the past few decades is pushing hospitals toward tougher ethical calls over who receives blood first when demand outpaces supply.
The American College of Surgeons said the effects extend well past trauma care. Blood product availability is essential for emergency operations, major oncologic resections, complex cardiovascular and transplant procedures, obstetric hemorrhage and management of unexpected intraoperative bleeding. A sustained shortage could force hospitals to prioritize the most urgent cases, delay elective procedures expected to require significant transfusions or implement stricter transfusion conservation strategies, according to an Aug. 4 ACS report.
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