Ethics in transfusion medicine: Are the intricate layers of ethics all universal? A global view

Olivier Garraud; Constantina Politis; Reinhard Henschler; Alexander P J Vlaar; Antoine Haddad; Nigar Ertuğrul Örüç; Stefan Laspina; Vincenzo De Angelis; Clive Richardson; Tomislav Vuk; European, Mediterranean Initiative in Transfusion medicine EMITm collaborative

doi:10.1016/j.tracli.2023.03.004

Ethics in transfusion medicine: Are the intricate layers of ethics all universal? A global view

Transfus Clin Biol. 2023 Aug;30(3):347-354. doi: 10.1016/j.tracli.2023.03.004. Epub 2023 Mar 23.

Affiliations

¹ Sainbiose-INSERM_U1059, FACULTY of Medicine, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Hellenic National Public Health Organisation, Athens, Greece.
³ Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 32, D 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
⁴ Department of Intensive Care, Amsterdam UMC, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, PO Box 22660, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Experimental Intensive Care and Anesthesiology, Amsterdam UMC, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, PO Box 22660, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁵ Sacré Cœur Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon; Lebanese University and Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁶ Health Sciences University Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
⁷ Mater Dei Hospital Blood Bank, Pathology Department, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
⁸ Centro Nazionale Sangue-Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
⁹ Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece.
¹⁰ Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.

PMID: 36965847
DOI: 10.1016/j.tracli.2023.03.004

Abstract

Ethical principles have been considered, and in several respects regulated, along the entire blood procurement chain from donor motivation to transfusion to the patient. Consent of donors and voluntary non-remunerated donation are fields which have been addressed by codes of ethics and legislation. Caring for donor health is an area of further development of ethical standards. In part, blood products have also become a market, where commercial principles may synergize, but also creating issues in equality and maintaining human dignity that challenge societal solutions. At the bedside, the main global challenge remains to procure enough blood products for each patient in medical need. Allocation of rare blood, ethical evaluation of transfusion triggers, attitudes towards refusing blood transfusion and provision of blood products to remote settings are areas which should receive consideration.

Keywords: Blood component recipient; Blood components; Blood donation; Blood donors; Ethics; Plasma derivative medicinal products; Transfusion medicine.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Blood Donors
Blood Transfusion
Humans
Transfusion Medicine*