Beyond the iron gate - therapeutic donation

Lifeblood provides therapeutic venesection for patients who meet evidence-based criteria.  Many of these patients have iron overload due to hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC). Doctors can refer their patients using the High Ferritin App, streamlining access to care.

Recently, we published the results of an online survey conducted with therapeutic donors in the Australian Journal of General Practice. Our study aimed to gain knowledge into the demographic characteristics of donors with haemochromatosis and to investigate their knowledge, compliance, and experiences with their condition.

The survey respondents (comprising 4,350 donors) self-reported high compliance with their prescribed venesection schedules and indicated being very knowledgeable about HHC, with most attending Lifeblood as they know their blood will be used.

Findings from the study are being used to enhance the donation experience for therapeutic donors. The study highlights the crucial role general practitioners play in directing people with haemochromatosis to donate their blood for lifesaving purposes, rather than having it discarded at pathology services.

Dr Peter Bentley, Senior Medical Officer at Lifeblood and lead author, says “GP guidance is instrumental in helping patients understand that their haemochromatosis treatment can also save lives”.

Updated transfusion resources now live

Lifeblood’s Clinical Education Team has recently completed a comprehensive review of several key transfusion resources designed to promote safe, appropriate and evidence-based transfusion. Updated materials now available include:

Quick reference lanyard card

• Blood prescribing card
• Blood compatibility card
• Acute transfusion reactions card
• Warfarin reversal card

Prescribing resources

• Prescribing red cells table
• Red cell transfusion
• Platelet transfusion
• Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusion

Acute transfusion reaction resources

• Acute transfusion reactions A3 poster

Oral iron resources

• Oral choices for adults
• Oral iron choices for maternity
• Optimising iron in obstetric patients A4
• Optimising iron in obstetric patients A3 poster

We're also pleased to share that the Transfusion orientation pack for Junior Medical Officers (JMO) Pack for 2026 is now available for ordering. More than 6,000 packs are currently being distributed to 55 healthcare services Australia-wide.

This pack includes our full suite of quick-reference lanyard cards, along with a QR code linking directly to the iTransfuse app—providing fast access to essential transfusion information right at the bedside.

All resources are now live on the Lifeblood website and can be ordered through the Resource library.

Highlights of Blood-ISBT Regional Congress

The BLOOD-ISBT 2025 Regional Congress in Perth saw the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) join with the three local Societies: Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand (HSANZ), Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT), and Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand (THANZ). This is the third time ISBT has come to Australia, with joint ISBT and International Society of Haematology (ISH) congresses held in Sydney in 1966 and 1986.

The BLOOD local organising committee and the ISBT Scientific Secretary are to be congratulated on their expansive program, which featured speakers and topics encompassing the broad scope of haematology and transfusion, capped by an excellent social program. This was a truly international conference, with 49 international speakers representing the four societies, and around 2,000 delegates travelling from 50 countries.

Lifeblood was well represented by speakers in the main program, as well as in the poster display, which both showcased the research and other work undertaken across the organisation. Current and former Lifeblood colleagues were also recipients of prestigious awards presented by the ANZSBT and ISBT.

Topics trending at Lifeblood

Data and metrics in patient blood management

Successful patient blood management (PBM) programs are reliant on data collection, analysis, and reporting, however, determining a starting point can be challenging. In particular, understanding the type of data to collect and how to report it. Trentino and colleagues undertook a literature review to provide a detailed, practical list of appropriate outcome metrics for hospital PBM programs, as well as the required data collection(s). Potential sources (hospital databases) for each data point were also described. Data elements were grouped into 3 levels of data collection: basic, intermediate, and advanced.

TransfusEd 2025 in review