Latest News

In December 2020 a joint communication from the BC Transfusion Medicine Advisory Group and PBCO was distributed to all immunoglobulin prescribers in the province regarding potential supply concerns. A link to that letter is available here.

CBS issued an Amber Phase Advisory (2019-05-08) due to an unprecedented increase in SCIg utilization and imminent shortage of Cuvitru brand SCIg in Canada.

As a result, a working group consisting of neurologists, hematologists, immunologists and patient advocates issued short-term management recommendations to mitigate the risk to patients and their access to SCIg. Learn More.

The RBC Redistribution Manual has been updated to reflect the new process of ordering Hospital Boxes and redistribution supplies from Canadian Blood Services and the Provincial Blood Coordinating Office (PBCO). PBCO and Canadian Blood Services Order Forms can be found under Program Tools. In addition to updated procedures, Training and Competency Tools have also be updated.

The RBC Redistribution Manual has been updated to reflect the new process of ordering Hospital Boxes and redistribution supplies from Canadian Blood Services and the Provincial Blood Coordinating Office (PBCO). PBCO and Canadian Blood Services Order Forms can be found under Program Tools. In addition to updated procedures, Training and Competency Tools have also be updated.

Version 2 of the BC Neonatal Clinical and Technical Recommendations for the Appropriate Use of Blood Components in Neonates and Infants Less than 4 Months of Age, is now available. The recommendations can be found on the PBCO website under Resources/ BC Recommendations or under Manuals/ TM Medical Policy Manual under Section 8.0.

Hereditary Angioedema: updated Treatment Recommendations and Sample Patient Template Letter are now available on the PBCO website.

The BC PSLS Blood Transfusion or Blood Product Patient Safety Event Report Form has been updated to enable BC Health Authorities participating in the Provincial RBC Redistribution Program, to integrate the new Health Canada reporting requirements into their existing patient safety reporting processes.  The new process will enable the PBCO to use BC PSLS to invite the shipping site to lead event follow up activities and document findings. Reporting to Health Canada will also be supported using BC PSLS functionality.

Click here to read the BC PSLS general annoucement

To report a problem with RBC redistribution, access the Blood Transfusion or Blood Product Patient Safety Event Report Form the same way you always do and be aware of the new process for following up on Provincial RBC Redistribution Shipment issues.

The BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office and Canadian Blood Services are pleased to invite you to the 15th Annual Education Session on Blood Transfusion Issues. This free educational event will be held on Thursday, September 24 in Kelowna, BC and supports the continuing education of technologists, nurses and physicians. Registration is now open. 

Blood Transfusion – Less is More – The benefits and risks of blood transfusion are complex. Are you aware of the physician recommendations on blood transfusion recently released on the Choosing Wisely Canada website by the Canadian Societies for Transfusion Medicine, Hematology, Internal Medicine, and Palliative Care? Take the online course Transfusion Medicine for Physicians and be confident you are making the decision to transfuse using the latest evidence-based information.

Target audience: Emergency and Family physicians, hospitalists, internists, residents, and surgeons

Apr 1st, 2015 – March 31st, 2016 / One hour online course made up of six 10-minute modules – flexibility to complete modules in one or multiple sittings / interactive case studies highlighting important points common in daily clinical decision making / accompanying references and resources to update and test practice knowledge in transfusion medicine/ CME credit available

Register directly at http://learninghub.phsa.ca or contact PBCO for more information.

The PBCO, in partnership with the Health Authorities of British Columbia is pleased to release the procedure template for Preparing a Syringe for Emergency Neonatal Red Cell Transfusion. This document must be reviewed, customized, and validated prior to use in the user's organization.

Updates are now in place, including changes for ease of use and dose calculator information. More information about the IVIG Provincial Program, including the updated Request Module materials, is available on the PBCO website.

The manual for the Provincial RBC Redistribution Program has been updated to reflect the requirements of the Health Canada Blood Regulations. Revisions to procedures for Issuing Sites and Receiving Sites are now available on the PBCO website.

Statement of Support for the NAC Statement:
"As a provincial advisory committee, the BC Transfusion Medicine Advisory Group (TMAG) agrees with and endorses the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Blood & Blood Products (NAC) statement regarding use of special blood products to reverse direct thrombin inhibitors or direct factor Xa inhibitors".

NAC Statement:
"At this time, there is insufficient evidence available to allow the National Advisory Committee on Blood & Blood Products (NAC) to develop a recommendation for the use of prothrombin complex concentrates, FEIBA or recombinant Factor VIIa in the reversal of Direct Thrombin Inhibitors or Direct Factor Xa Inhibitors."

The BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office and Canadian Blood Services are pleased to invite you to the 14th Annual Education Session on Blood Transfusion Issues. This free educational event will be held on Thursday, October 2 in Whistler, BC and supports the continuing education of technologists, nurses and physicians. Registration is now closed for in-person attendance.  The agenda for this event is now available.

The BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office developed the “iCHIP PHM Getting Started” video to support new users of the iCHIP Patient Home Module (PHM). iCHIP PHM is designed to be user-friendly and easy to navigate and this video can be used by clinicians to demonstrate what the application can do and be viewed by users for additional information and tips. This video can also be accessed by users in the iCHIP PHM Help menu.

The British Columbia Transfusion Medicine Advisory Group is pleased to release the 2014 version of the Recommendations for Red Blood Cell Transfusion. The recommendations apply to RBC transfuison in adults and children over 4 months of age.