Academy
T² Conference (Transfusion & Transplantation) 2026
The landmark T² Conference (Transfusion & Transplantation) 2026, was successfully held from July 14 to 15, 2026, in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Convened through a joint collaboration between the Polonnaruwa Clinical Society, the Teaching Hospital Polonnaruwa, and the National Nephrology Specialised Hospital, Polonnaruwa, with support from the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), this premier hybrid academic meeting bridge-linked the critical fields of transfusion and transplantation. The event attracted a robust attendance of approximately 200 in-person medical professionals alongside a massive virtual audience participating online from across the country. Serving as a vital forum for disseminating clinical updates and evidence-based practice guidelines tailored to Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector, the comprehensive academic proceedings are detailed below across the core plenary sessions and symposia.
Plenary 1: Patient blood management
Patient Blood Management (PBM) represented a foundational pillar of the conference, focusing on shifting the clinical paradigm from a product-centered approach to a patient-centered one. The session emphasized maximizing the patient's own red cell mass, minimizing blood loss, and optimizing physiological tolerance to anemia.
Samantha Senavirathna opened the session with an introduction of the adverse effects of blood transfusion. This lecture served as a sobering reminder that every blood component delivery carries a considerable risk to the patient. The gravity of hemolytic reactions, transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO), transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), allergic reactions and transfusion transmitted infections was highlighted.
Complementing this session, Anoja Herath addressed critical crisis management workflows through a detailed evaluation of the Massive Transfusion Protocol (MTP). Herath outlined the operational challenges of executing an MTP, stressing the need for rapid communication between clinical wards and the blood bank, the utility of point-of-care viscoelastic testing, and the precise ratios of packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets required to combat trauma-induced or surgical coagulopathy.
The topic was continued to the second day as well. Professor Richard R. Gammon, joining online to the sessions, delivered an essential international address on the rational use of blood components. His presentation highlighted global metrics and benchmarking strategies designed to reduce unnecessary transfusions, thereby preserving scarce blood banking resources and mitigating transfusion-associated risks.
A full house at the T² Conference 2026! Healthcare professionals gather in Polonnaruwa to discuss critical clinical updates and evidence-based practice guidelines in transfusion and transplantation medicine.
Plenary 2: Safe blood collection
Ensuring a safe and sustainable blood supply requires stringent quality controls at the point of collection. This plenary reviewed epidemiologic data, rigorous screening, and donor selection criteria vital to safeguarding the national blood banking system.
Nalaka Kulathunge presented an essential epidemiological review of HIV prevalence and trends within Sri Lanka. His data-driven analysis was beneficial in reminding clinicians of the persistent window periods and the critical need for highly sensitive nucleic acid testing (NAT) to complement routine serological assays.
Following this, Chandana Wijesinghe led an in-depth review of donor deferral criteria. Wijesinghe focused on balancing the preservation of the donor pool with the absolute safety of recipients. The discussion evaluated temporary versus permanent deferrals, emphasizing how strict adherence to standardized pre-donation screening questionnaires remains the primary defense line against transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) and donor adverse events.
Plenary 3: Renal transplantation
Hosted in collaboration with the National Nephrology Specialised Hospital, this session focused heavily on tissue typing, donor-recipient pairing, and the long-term management of allograft recipients.
Indika Karunasena detailed current strategies in histocompatibility and crossmatching. The presentation systematically deconstructed the clinical utility of complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatches, flow cytometric crossmatching, and single-antigen bead assays using Luminex technology. Karunasena emphasized that accurate definition of donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) is paramount to avoiding hyperacute rejection and predicting long-term graft survival.
Transitioning from laboratory diagnostics to clinical management, Professor Rajitha Abeysekara presented a comprehensive breakdown of post-transplant rejection management. Professor Abeysekara compared the therapeutic regimens for T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR) and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). The discussion evaluated the precise sequencing of high-dose pulse corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and targeted monoclonal antibody therapies, adapting these protocols to specific patient risk profiles.
Plenary 4: Special situations
Transfusion medicine often intersects with complex subspecialties that demand highly tailored protocols. This plenary explored advanced automated interventions and pediatric-specific safety guidelines.
Samantha Senavirathna delivered an insightful presentation on the application and execution of therapeutic apheresis. The session covered the blood product usage for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), detailing exact parameters for fluid replacement. Pros and cons of replacement fluids were discussed and the rational use of blood products in therapeutic apheresis was emphasized.
The focus then shifted to vulnerable populations with a presentation on pediatric transfusion practices by Gauri Jayasinghe. Jayasinghe highlighted the physiological differences between neonatal/pediatric patients and adults, noting their higher sensitivity to volume overload and metabolic shifts. She detailed precise weight-based dosing guidelines, the necessity of irradiated and leukoreduced products to avoid graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission, and strict indications for top-up transfusions in pediatric intensive care units.
The organising committee, distinguished resource persons, and key stakeholders gather for a group photograph at the successful conclusion of the landmark T² Conference (Transfusion & Transplantation) 2026 in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
An interactive discussion between the audience and speakers during the T² Transfusion and Transplantation Conference. An attendee participates in an interactive Q&A session during a plenary discussion, fostering knowledge sharing at the T² Conference 2026 in Polonnaruwa.
Symposium 1: Thresholds for transfusion
This symposium targeted the ongoing clinical debate surrounding restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies. It aimed to establish uniform, evidence-based practices across surgical and medical wards.
To formalize these warnings into clinical parameters, a dedicated expert panel focused strictly on establishing specific thresholds for blood element transfusions. The panel featured interactive discussions regarding red cell, platelet, and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) delivery protocols, focusing heavily on restricting triggers.
Symposium 2: Optimising the patient in patient blood management
The final symposium provided a detailed roadmap for pre-operative and intra-operative patient optimization, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of modern PBM. Piumanthi Karunarathne began by addressing hemostasis optimization. Karunarathne emphasized preemptive correction of coagulopathy prior to elective procedures, the targeted use of antifibrinolytics like tranexamic acid, and the minimization of pharmacological factors that exacerbate surgical bleeding.
Following this, Jeevaka Kulatissa presented on anemia tolerance optimization. This session detailed methodologies to diagnose and treat iron deficiency anemia weeks before surgery using intravenous iron formulations and erythropoietin-stimulating agents, allowing patients to safely undergo major surgeries without requiring allogeneic blood.
Concluding the technical presentations, Manujaya Godakandage explored advanced surgical techniques in patient blood management. Godakandage highlighted meticulous surgical dissection, the deployment of advanced topical hemostatic agents, and the utilization of intra-operative cell salvage technologies to recover and reinfuse autologous blood in real-time.
Anoja Herath, a resource person delivering an expert lecture at the podium during the T² Transfusion and Transplantation workshop.
Conclusion
The T² Conference 2026 successfully blended highly specialized local knowledge with international clinical paradigms. The inclusion of an educational demonstration showcasing the rich archaeological value of Polonnaruwa city provided a memorable closing to an intense academic itinerary. Ultimately, the conference armed both local and virtual attendees with guidelines to improve patient outcomes, reduce transfusion risks, and elevate the standard of transplantation care nationwide.
