Innovative blood transfusion strategies to address global blood deserts: a consensus statement from the Blood Delivery via Emerging Strategies for Emergency Remote Transfusion (Blood DESERT) Coalition

Nakul P. Raykar*, Vanitha Raguveer, Yetmgeta Eyayou Abdella, Asma Ali-Awadh, Harshit Arora, Lucy Asamoah-Akuoko, Linda S. Barnes, Andrew P. Cap, Aulina Chowdhury, Zara Cooper, Meghan Delaney, Marisa DelSignore, Sidra Inam, Vijay Anand Ismavel, Kennedy Jensen, Nikathan Kumar, Gilchrist Lokoel, Joy John Mammen, Priyansh Nathani, Marie Paul NisingizweJuan Carlos Puyana, Robert Riviello, Nobhojit Roy, Ali Salim, Claude Tayou-Tagny, Sargun Virk, Caroline Wesonga Wangamati

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

In rural settings worldwide, many people live in effective blood deserts without access to any blood transfusion. The traditional system of blood banking is logistically complex and expensive for many resource-restricted settings and demands innovative and multidisciplinary solutions. 17 international experts in medicine, industry, and policy participated in an exploratory process with a 2-day hybrid seminar centred on three promising innovative strategies for blood transfusions in blood deserts: civilian walking blood banks, intraoperative autotransfusion, and drone-based blood delivery. Participant working groups conducted literature reviews and interviews to develop three white papers focused on the current state and knowledge gaps of each innovation. Seminar discussion focused on defining blood deserts and developing innovation-specific implementation agendas with key research and policy priorities for future work. Moving forward, advocates should prioritise the identification of blood deserts and address the context-specific challenges for these innovations to alleviate the ongoing crisis in blood deserts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e522-e529
JournalThe Lancet Global Health
Volume12
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2024
Externally publishedYes

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