Transfusion safety monitoring and learning provide a mechanism for identifying transfusion risks, enabling medical institutions to implement intervention measures, to reduce transfusion risks, and ultimately to improve patient safety. Recently, in response to ongoing challenges in transfusion safety, the UK Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) integrated and transformed the recommendations scattered in previous annual reports, and released the Standards for Transfusion Safety. This document specifies standards and requirements/criterion in eight key areas, including transfusion safety, transfusion information technology and equipment, supporting staff to work safely, staff education and training, safety culture, patients as safety partners, haemovigilance and risk management, and governance. The issue and implementation of the Standards marks a significant transformation in the UK's blood transfusion safety governance strategy. Understanding the content and background of the Standards will be beneficial for contemplating and exploring the future direction of China's blood transfusion safety governance strategy.

As the second part of this series, this article summarizes and synthesizes the key aspects of UK Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT), SHOT’s continuous promotion of learning from excellent daily transfusion events over the past six years. This summary is based on an introduction to the holistic approach to improving patient safety—proactively learning from both failures and successes. The covered topics include an overview, definitions, case studies, implementation methods, safety culture, psychological safety in the workplace, civility in work, the use of neutral language, leading and lagging indicators, and compassionate governance. It is hoped that this article will assist domestic colleagues in understanding and studying the strategic significance of the transformation of transfusion safety governance in the UK, and inspire reflection on the strategic development direction of transfusion safety governance in China.

Whole blood, containing all blood components in physiological proportions, is a preferred resuscitative fluid for patients with severe hemorrhage. The preparation, supply, and clinical use of whole blood are more convenient, safe, and effective, offering the advantages of reduced blood utilization and associated costs. In recent years, an increasing number of countries and regions have initiated whole blood transfusion programs. The newly issued "Medical Treatment Specifications for Trauma Patients in Emergencies (2025 Edition)" by China's National Health Commission designates whole blood as the preferred choice for early trauma transfusion. Establishing a priority supply mechanism for whole blood has become a critical task for blood services in China. This paper introduces the recommendations of the European Blood Alliance practical guidance on implementation of a whole blood programme within a blood service, hoping to provide insights and assistance in establishing a priority supply mechanism for whole blood in China.

This article reviews the history and current status of the development of quality management good practice for blood establishments worldwide, covering its standardization, systematization, formalization, and global harmonization and collaboration. It introduces three international harmonization guidelines for quality management in blood establishments, namely, the WHO Good practices for blood establishments, the EU Good practice guidelines for blood establishments, and the PIC/S Good practices guide for blood establishments and hospital blood banks, with the aim of contributing to the reflection and exploration of directions for revising quality management standards for blood establishments in China.

The recently updated best practice guidelines for hospital blood inventory management by the UK Blood Stocks Management Scheme comprehensively address best practices for managing blood component inventory in hospital transfusion laboratories. These include training and responsibility of laboratory staff, appropriate stock levels and ordering patterns, promoting best practice, patient blood management, movement of stock, satellite fridges and remote issue, useful data tools, KPIs and benchmarking, effective collaboration, blood management planning and conservation, and managing stocks during an IT downtime. This article introduces the main content of the guidelines, aiming to provide insights and support for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of blood inventory management standards in Chinese hospitals.

As the second installment in our series introducing the UK Blood Shortage Response Plan, this article outlines the UK's blood emergency management framework, including: Business Continuity Management (BCM) for healthcare institutions; Structure of emergency command coordination and participating organizations in the UK; Key components of blood emergency management guidelines. Simultaneously, by detailing the National Blood Transfusion Committee's component agencies, institutional responsibilities, operational requirements and operational remit, it provides deeper insights into the development and functioning of the UK's blood emergency management system, thereby delivering comprehensive foundational knowledge for understanding the implementation of the Blood Shortage Response Plan.

BACKGROUND: The FAVOR (Comparison of Quantitative Flow Ratio Guided and Angiography Guided Percutaneous Intervention in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease) III China trial demonstrated that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lesion selection using quantitative flow ratio (QFR) measurement, a novel angiography-based approach for estimating fractional flow reserve, improved two-year clinical outcomes compared with standard angiography guidance. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of QFR-guided PCI from the perspective of the current Chinese healthcare system. METHODS: This study is a pre-specified analysis of the FAVOR III China trial, which included 3825 patients randomized between December 25, 2018, and January 19, 2020, from 26 centers in China. Patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris or those ≥72 hours post-myocardial infarction who had at least one lesion with a diameter stenosis between 50% and 90% in a coronary artery with a ≥2.5 mm reference vessel diameter by visual assessment were randomized to a QFR-guided strategy or an angiography-guided strategy with 1:1 ratio. During the two-year follow-up, data were collected on clinical outcomes, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), estimated costs of index procedure hospitalization, outpatient cardiovascular medication use, and rehospitalization due to major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The primary analysis calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the cost per MACCE avoided. An ICER of ¥10,000/MACCE event avoided was considered economically attractive in China. RESULTS: At two years, the QFR-guided group demonstrated a reduced rate of MACCE compared to the angiography-guided group (10.8% vs . 14.7%, P <0.01). Total two-year costs were similar between the groups (¥50,803 ± 21,121 vs . ¥50,685 ± 23,495, P = 0.87). The ICER for the QFR-guided strategy was ¥3055 per MACCE avoided, and the probability of QFR being economically attractive was 64% at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥10,000/MACCE avoided. Sensitivity analysis showed that QFR-guided PCI would become cost-saving if the cost of QFR were below ¥3682 (current cost: ¥3800). Cost-utility analysis yielded an ICER of ¥56,163 per QALY gained, with a 53% probability of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥85,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing PCI, a QFR-guided strategy appears economically attractive compared to angiographic guidance from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03656848.
Humans ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Angiography/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease/surgery* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial/physiology*

BACKGROUND: Valvular heart disease (VHD) has become increasingly common with the aging in China. This study aimed to evaluate regional differences in the clinical features, management strategies, and outcomes of patients with VHD across different regions in China. METHODS: Data were collected from the China-VHD Study. From April 2018 to June 2018, 12,347 patients who presented with moderate or severe native VHD with a median of 2 years of follow-up from 46 centers at certified tertiary hospitals across 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in Chinese mainland were included in this study. According to the locations of the research centers, patients were divided into five regional groups: eastern, southern, western, northern, and central China. The clinical features of VHD patients were compared among the five geographical regions. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality or rehospitalization for heart failure. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the cumulative incidence rate. RESULTS: Among the enrolled patients (mean age, 61.96 years; 6877 [55.70%] male), multiple VHD was the most frequent type (4042, 32.74%), which was mainly found in eastern China, followed by isolated mitral regurgitation (3044, 24.65%), which was mainly found in northern China. The etiology of VHD varied significantly across different regions of China. The overall rate of valve interventions was 32.67% (4008/12,268), with the highest rate in southern China at 48.46% (205/423). In terms of procedure, the proportion of transcatheter valve intervention was relatively low compared to that of surgical treatment. Patients with VHD in western China had the highest incidence of all-cause mortality or rehospitalization for heart failure. Valve intervention significantly improved the outcome of patients with VHD in all five regions (all P  <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that patients with VHD in China are characterized by significant geographic disparities in clinical features, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Targeted efforts are needed to improve the management and prognosis of patients with VHD in China according to differences in geographical characteristics. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03484806.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Heart Valve Diseases/therapy* ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Treatment Outcome

As the third part of a series introducing the "national plan for NHS blood and transplant and hospitals to address blood shortage in the UK", this article details the development and full content of the plan to address red cell shortages. It primarily outlines an action framework and specific measures to be taken under the four defined red cell supply levels. The article places particular emphasis on the formulation and implementation of the Emergency Blood Management Arrangements (EBMA), transfusion indications, the impact and monitoring of blood shortages, and the work involved in the recovery phase of blood supply. Furthermore, by referencing appendix content, it presents the above information graphically in charts and tables.

As the fourth installment in the series introducing the "national plan for NHS blood and transplant and hospitals to address blood shortage in the UK" details the development process and full content of the "Guidance for transfusion triage and blood allocation in massively bleeding patients during a severe national blood shortage". It primarily covers: defining "massive haemorrhage," outlining the activation and implementation procedures for Emergency Blood Management Arrangements, and introducing the emergency decision-making framework for blood allocation in patients anticipated to require massive transfusion. It also elaborates on the transfusion triage process and the methods for re-evaluating triaged patients, supported by examples cited from the appendices. Notably, it proposes ethical principles for the triage of transfusion patients, offering reference principles for China in formulating relevant policies and corresponding measures. As the final article in the series on the “Overview of national plan for NHS blood and transplant and hospitals to address blood shortage in the United Kingdom ", this piece summarizes the entire collection. It concludes that unified national planning, close cross-institutional collaboration, deep involvement of specialist committees, and evidence-based clinical practice are indispensable pillars for building a blood emergency management system capable of withstanding various shocks and consistently safeguarding patient lives. For China, which is committed to refining its own blood emergency management system, the UK's experience offers profound insights and lessons for reference, particularly in areas such as system architecture, legal framework development, the operation of specialist committees, and standardized processes.