Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 29, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press tuesday August 29, 2006 health a7 kidney transplants blood donations not fully screened for killer bacteria National Agency moving toward higher Standard of testing kill by Paul Samyn o the threat of bacterial contamination is greatest in the blood used for Ottawa ? Canadas National platelet treatment. Unlike donated blood Agency in to screening All units of whole blood which can be of its donations for bacterial refrigerated platelets have to be contamination which causes More stored at room temperature greatly transfusion related deaths than West increasing the chances for bacterial Nile virus. Growth. Platelets which Only have a while Canadian blood services does shelf life of around five Days Are used it fully test for the largest Factor in to treat patients experiencing pro transfusion transmitted diseases longed bleeding such As those suffer Hema Quebec has been screening All ing from cancer or Haemophilia. Since blood used for platelets in Quebec. Platelet receiving patients Are often in Hema Quebec a decision taken in poor health they Are also less Able to february 2005 to increase patient Safe fight any infections they catch via the to Means Quebec a blood Agency is blood Supply. Platelets tested within its labs by sep aside for 48 hours. Exceeding Canadian standards by Fol the creation of Canadian blood ser tember 2007, he said. The lbs also Vezina said the fatality rate for trans lowing the guidelines issued by the vices lbs which runs the blood sys takes a number of other Steps when fused bacterial infections is one in american association of blood Banks tem in every province except Quebec blood is being donated to reduce the 500,000, but he added that the lbs Abban International body with was a key recommendation to come chances of bacterial contamination. Would have a much lower rate. Members in 80 countries. From the Krever inquiry into the coun lbs has been slower to move to the according to one . Medical study or. Mark Brecher an Abb Mem try a tainted blood scandal. Testing Standard Hema Quebec is using there were 23 transfusion transmitted Ber and director of transfusion medi lbs spokesman Ron Vezina said the because of concerns siphoning off cases of West Nile virus identified in Cine service and transplant non profit organization is working on some of the platelets for screening the United states in 2002, of which five laboratories at the University of North meeting the new Abb guideline even would further reduce the Supply across led to deaths associated with the mos Carolina said both government regu though it in to yet required by health the country Vezina said. Quito borne virus. At the same time 17 gators and the Media have been slow to Canada. The inventory across the nation is deaths from contamination of blood pick up on the threats posed by Bate that is the Standard we Are moving always very tight for platelets he components were reported. Rial contamination and the need for toward Vezina said. Said. Andre Roch vice president of pub additional testing. Vezina said the lbs now tests about the lbs tests All donations for Dis Lic affairs for Hema Quebec said the most of these organisms can kill 40 per cent per cent of its platelet sup eases such As his aids hepatitis c new detection system has caught 11 Brecher said in an interview. Ply with a further 20 per cent screened and West Nile virus but testing for cases of contaminated platelets. If a High enough level gets infused by hospitals. The lbs is taking Steps bacteria is a More prolonged process. it can kill you. In fact it probably will toward having 60 per cent of its that requires often leaving the Sample open medical schools to anyone who can pay think tank Calgary ? provincial governments doctors that will Only get worse in the he said would be doctors either aban the report notes Canada has been across Canada should Stop regulating next decade says Nadeem Esmail a Don their medical dreams or choose to relying on foreign trained doctors to fill who gets into Canadian medical schools director at the economic think tank. Pay for their education in the United the Gap in recent years. Without a and consider allowing qualified Poten abandoning medical school admission states or the United kingdom Many change in medical training policy tial physicians to foot their own training and training restrictions would mean that choosing not to return to Canada. Importing health care workers will have costs says a new study from the Fraser the Supply of doctors would be deter the study also recommends the adopt to continue or Canada will see the num Institute. Mined by patients needs not provincial Tion of user fees and lifting restrictions Ber of doctors per capita drop by 2015. The move would help ease a doctor funding decisions said Esmail whose such As How Many operations a surgeon ? Canadian press shortage and Reliance on foreign trained study was released monday. Can perform. Patients waiting years for organs by Sharon Kirkey albertan Are nearly four times As Likely As people in Ontario to get a kidney from a dead donor within three years of starting dialysis according to new research that found striking differences in kidney transplantation in Canada. Its not fair to decide who lives and who Dies based on where the lines Are drawn on a map say doctors writing in this weeks Canadian medical association journal. The study of More than 7,000 dialysis patients in Canada found those under 40 waited a median eight years in Ontario and 7.8 years in ., for a new kidney compared to three years in Alberta. Median Means half waited longer half waited less. If i was a patient just starting dialysis in And i did to have a potential for a living donor i might consider mov ing says co author or. John Gill a kid Ney transplant physician at Vancouver a St. Paul a Hospital. As of yesterday there were 275 people on the waiting list for a kidney trans Plant in ., and 1,136 in Ontario. The average wait in Was 59.6 months ? about five years. For me its a very powerful message that we be got these discrepancies we need to understand them Gill says. The deceased donor rate in 2005 was the lowest Ever at 12.8 donors per Mil lion population according to the Cana Dian Organ replacement registry. Quebec had the highest rate at 17.9, while 5.9 and Manitoba 5.1 had the lowest. The team raises the possibility of Shar ing organs Between provinces or buying the kidneys of dead donors in non Canadian but Lead author or. Marcello Tonelli says the Price for sharing kidneys might be the organs fail More rapidly or some never work at All because of the increased delay Between procurement and the transplant surgery. ? can West news service ;