Monitoring Blood Supply Shortages The TRANS-Net Pilot

Alan E. Williams, Ph.D.

OBRR/CBER/FDA

Blood Products Advisory Committee

March 13, 2003

Blood Supply Overview• 12,022,000 WB/RBC units transfused (92.5% of available)

• Available WB/RBC Margin 5.4% in 1997; 7.5% in 1999

• Transfusion demand ~ 4% yr. (Chemotherapy, Organ transplantation)

• 10.2% allogeneic WB/RBC supply growth 1997-99

Comprehensive Report on Blood Collection and Transfusion in the U.S. conducted by National Blood Data Resource Center (NBDRC) - Biennial survey – AABB members + hospital sample

Blood Supply Pressures

• Blood Donor base– ~80% repeat donors (deferrals costly)– Changing demographic and other characteristics

Aging

– Fewer large worksite collections

• Elasticity of Supply– 3-5 % maximum donation loss experience

(1986 anti-HBc; 2000 ear/finger stick + UK deferral)

– Limited supply during Summer and holidays (esp. 2002)

• Public responds to appeals - long term impact uncertain

Impact of Donor Travel Deferrals

• BSE/vCJD Deferrals – May and October ‘02 – Projected loss 5.0% nationwide– Actual loss not directly measurable– Major component of industry more restrictive

• Disproportionate impacts of travel deferrals– Coastal cities: 50% donor loss (e.g. NYC and SF) – Rural US: 50% impact

– New York area “Euroblood” lost by pan-European deferral– Military bases– TSEAC requested supply monitoring and assessment

Blood Supply Oversight

• November, 1999 Amendment to DHHS Blood Action Plan “Monitoring and Increasing the Blood Supply”

• July, 2002 GAO Report - Blood Supply Generally Adequate Despite New Restrictions

• September 10, 2002 Hearing - House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

• November 22, 2002 Hearing - New York State Assembly

September 5, 2002 HHS Advisory Committee for Blood Safety and Availability

(ACBSA)

DHHS should promote increased public awareness of the ongoing need for routine blood donations by healthy persons ……..

DHHS should maintain and/or increase funded support for blood supply monitoring……..

DHHS should support initiatives to improve management of blood inventories ……

Blood Supply Monitoring What do we really need to know?

Goal I: Monitor breadth, impact, and duration of blood and reagent shortages

– Sensitivity to define regional and local shortages via data derived from entire population or large representative sample

– “Real-time” data availability– Targeted to Group O RBCs and platelets – Shortage alerts derived from both blood collection centers and transfusion

services– Trends, Characteristics Prediction ⇒

HHS Supply Monitoring, NBDRC Monthly sample, ABC Stoplight, ARC system inventory, TRANS-Net

Blood Supply Monitoring What do we really need to know?

Goal II: Monitor long term blood collection and utilization trends

– Total collections: WB and Components– Trends in component use– Monitoring of outdated products– Capacity for ad hoc collection of operational data – Data available to public – (Utilization – by ICD-9-CM code or similar)– (Updated annually)

Center for Blood Research→ NBDRC Comprehensive Biennial Survey of Blood Collection and Utilization

Blood Supply Monitoring What do we really need to know?

Goal III: Monitor blood center inventory at major collection facilities and reserve depots

• Continuous knowledge of inventory available for emergency distribution

• Early warning of impending shortage

ABC Stoplight, ARC system inventory

Opportunities to Build an Improved Monitoring Network

• Sensitivity to local shortage• National representation• Real time• Integration of blood center and transfusion service

supply input.• Prediction• Data access

TRANS-Net Blood and Reagent Shortage

Monitoring System

Capt. Manette Niu, M.D.Sharyn Orton, Ph.D.Amy El NaggarStanley PawlowskiAlan Williams, Ph.D.

Voxiva Corporation

Numerous colleagues – Advice and piloting

TRANS-Net: Design Characteristics(Consultation with twelve hospital transfusion services and blood centers)

Simplicity– Utilize data routinely compiled by the facility– Daily (Mon-Fri) reporting with simple “no shortage” option to

provide denominator– Recognize local variations in “shortage definition”– Telephone reporting option for sites without internet access

Incentive for Participation– Rapid data availability– Meaningful use of collected data– Support for recruitment efforts

TRANS-Net: Design Characteristics (cont.)

Population-based - All US blood centers and transfusion services (n= 5000+) will be

eligible to participate.

Brief registration form - Allows data verification, follow-up, tracking of site for consistent

participation, an ensuring accurate reporting denominator

Simple, automated data entry- Participants will be prompted for daily interaction with Trans-Net

system via choice of E-mail/Web or touch-tone telephone. “No shortage” report made via single keystroke

A blood or blood component “shortage” definition may vary………..

– by hospital– by blood center – by geographic region – over time – based on supply network

Trans-Net: Data Management

Electronic data received and mapped at central FDA monitoring site

Registration of reporting facilities allows verification/ follow-up of selected reports

Data access through software that considers geo-spatial density and frequency of shortage reports

ALERT message generated at predetermined threshold

Trans-Net: Data Reporting

Interactive public website– Data saved to an Oracle database

– GIS mapping software provides public view of “real time” color-coded maps reflecting regional and national blood supplies

– “Drill down” capability to n 5 respondents

2003 Holiday Blood Shortage

• Two mid-week holidays• Blood shortage recognized broadly 1/3/03• Appeals

– HHS Secretary Thompson

– AABB/ABC/ARC

• Prolonged recovery• “Blizzard” of 2003• (Scheduled start of TRANS-Net pilot 1/6/03)

No. of sites reporting shortages to TRANS-Net, by “weighted”

shortage criteria, 1/6 – 2/14/03

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Transfusion Service and Blood Center “Weight” and No. of Site Reporting Shortage, TRANS-Net

(1/6/03-2/14/03)

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Transfusion Service(TS) WeightNo. of TS ReportingShortageBlood Center (BC)WeightNo. of BC ReportingShortage

Characteristics of post-holiday blood supply 1/6/03 - 2/19/03

• 54/148 (36%) transfusion service shortage days • Pre- 1/6 to 2/10 • Sooner recovery than blood centers

• 75/142 (53%) blood center shortage days• Pre - 1/6 to now• Blood center shortage reports continue

• Blood Centers - more sensitive monitor • Transfusion Services - reflect acute need

TRANS-Net Future• Phase I - Pilot (nine sites) 1/6/03 – 2/28/03

• Discussion within HHS/OMB Review

• Phase II - Roll-out to several hundred participants– Monitoring at regional level– Functional mapping

• Phase III- Full population of 145 blood centers and 5000+ transfusion services

• Other uses: blood center inventory, platelet supply, adverse event reporting, supply/reagent shortage, electronic blood product request, public blood “thermometer”