Kate Chipperfield

MD, FRCPC

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Head, Division of Hematopathology, BC Children's Hospital

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a mainstay of treatment for individuals requiring surgery, with traumatic injury, undergoing chemotherapy and with anemia due to bone marrow failure or other medical conditions. Despite this, red cell transfusion has been associated with poorer outcome in many of these patient populations [Hebert, 1999, Villaneuva 2013]. As well, it is a costly treatment and the product is often in short supply due to demands in excess of donor availability. Utilization trends increase year over year on a provincial and national basis, and this is unlikely to change in light of our aging population.

For these reasons, there is interest at all levels of care to ensure that RBC transfusion is undertaken only when necessary; when no other reasonable treatment option is available. My current research focuses on assessing blood transfusion practices and adherence to current recommendations.