Academy
ANZSBT Blood2023 Annual Scientific Meeting
Blood2023 Annual Scientific Meeting is a combined meeting for Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT), Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand (HSANZ) and Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand (THANZ). It is the eminent regional Haematology meeting hosting numerous invited international and local speakers for a multidisciplinary audience of medical, nursing, scientific healthcare professionals.
Opening ceremony " Dr Andrew Charlton
An ISBT Academy grant enabled ANZSBT to offer the South-East Asia/Pacific Islands Travel Award in 2023. Three delegates from Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), two from Malaysia and one from Indonesia were funded to attend Blood2023. These delegates were chosen for their capacity to enhance and support the transfusion services and encourage ongoing education in their respective countries.
The South-East Asia/Pacific Islands Travel Award winners were able to attend any session within the Blood2023 program, review posters, visit the trade exhibition and network with others to foster relationships with their international peers. Furthermore, the delegates were able to visit to an Australian transfusion laboratory or blood processing centre depending on their preference. This enabled the delegates to see how these services are managed in Australia, and to create networks for ongoing support, nurture professional relationships and education for the future.
Overview of the ANZSBT program within Blood2023:
Prof Sant-Ryan Pasricha opened the congress with a fascinating talk on “Prevention and treatment of anaemia in low-income countries”. Dr Mohandas Narla (President of the American Society of Haematology, United States) shared his expertise on red cell physiology and red cell membrane disorders. Whilst Dr Dorine Swinkles (The Netherlands) spoke on iron dyshomeostasis and iron refractory iron deficiency. Dr Andrew Charlton (United Kingdom) discussed challenges in the transfusion of haematology and oncology patients before and asking us to consider “How we will be thinking about transfusion in 2030”?
There was a session dedicated to obstetrics and women’s health including the management of haematological malignancies in pregnancy, fertility preservation and interesting cases of intrauterine transfusions. As well as a session on critical bleeding including the prehospital transfusion management of trauma patients, ECMO and anticoagulation, and fibrinolysis in trauma.
The program highlighted successful change implementation projects such as “a modified blood draw method to reduce iatrogenic blood loss” from a PBM clinical nurse consultant, Ms Gill Archer (New Zealand) and the state-based implementation of a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) screening for RhD negative women in pregnancy. Followed by a presentation on the soon-to-be-released ANZSBT Guidelines on the Prevention of Transfusion Associated Graft verses Host Disease (TA-GVHD).
Group photo: Lecture session
Finally, there was a session focusing on the key role of that transfusion practitioners play within the Australian and New Zealand transfusion community which included electronic medical records for transfusion prescribing, haemovigilance and zero tolerance for errors in pretransfusion testing.
ANZSBT’s most distinguished award, the Ruth Sanger Oration, was presented by Prof Robert Flower on “Turning the page on blood typing: reflections of a classic text” which shared his fascinating career journey over the years and how it intertwined with the various versions of Race and Sanger “Blood Groups in Man”.
Blood2023 organising committee
Feedback from the three delegates confirms the value of the ISBT Academy Grant:
“I appreciate your assistance in connecting me with blood transfusion experts and allowing me to maintain professional relationships that will benefit my future endeavours”.
The “congress was productive, as I made numerous new acquaintances from all over Australia.”
“There are many challenging cases in the field of transfusion, especially in fetomaternal haemorrhage, massive haemorrhage protocol etc. I learned a lot and gained insights from this conference”.
“The event has exceeded my expectations in numerous ways, making it a truly enriching and rewarding experience.”
“The diversity of subjects covered at the conference has greatly expanded my understanding of transfusion medicine and hematology.”
“The lectures have been a standout feature of the conference. They are not only precise and well-organized but also expertly explained, making complex topics accessible and easy to understand”.
ANZBST and the South-East Asia/Pacific Islands Travel Award winners for 2023 are immensely grateful to the ISBT Academy for the opportunity for LMIC delegates to participate in Australia and New Zealand’s leading transfusion congress.
ANZBST is looking forward to welcoming you to our next Annual Scientific Meeting, Blood2024, in sunny Brisbane Queensland from 27th to the 30th of October 2024.
