Recap of the 18th Annual ORBCoN/ CBS Transfusion Medicine Education Workshop and Symposium

By Tracy Cameron, North and East Ontario Regional Manager, ORBCoN

The Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network (ORBCoN) and Canadian Blood Services (CBS) co-hosted the annual transfusion medicine serology workshop and web conference held on April 26th and 27th of this year. The workshop aimed to educate community hospital staff involved in transfusions, including ordering physicians, nurses that administer the components and products, and technologists involved with testing and preparing components and products. The workshop focused on autoantibody cases while the conference focused on platelets, plasma, and Fibrinogen products. Dr. Johnathan Mack presented 2 different cases for each tier based on the difficulty of the TM lab workup. The plenary program aimed to help attendees understand the different components other than red blood cells, their risks and benefits, strategies to reduce adverse events, and recommend appropriate components for clinical situations. Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak discussed Fibrinogen replacement, Dr. Michelle Zeller covered platelet usage, and Dr. Kathryn Webert presented on the benefits of solvent detergent plasma.

The recorded presentations can be viewed on our website. Almost 1200 people registered for the event from across the country, as well as 24 international registrants.