Finally summer. The longing for a journey into the distance was great. The people went away. To Italy or anywhere else. Corona finally allowed that. For the Blood donation service of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) in Munich However, this meant that fewer people than usual donated blood in the summer. “There were a lot of people on the move, there was a lot of leisure time and so were the temperatures,” says BRK spokesman Patric Nohe. The clinic traffic lights were also green during this time. Many operations that were postponed in the second or third corona wave were then rescheduled and there was a high demand for blood reserves. All reasons why, as Nohe describes, “a gap” has arisen. Stocking up for “bad times” is not an option. “You can’t just freeze blood products,” says Nohe. In addition, a whole blood preparation can only be kept for 42 days.
When donating whole blood, approximately half a liter of blood is taken from the donor’s arm vein. By centrifuging the blood bag, a separation into the blood components erythrocytes, i.e. the red blood cells, and blood plasma can then take place. With its 4400 mobile blood donation services and stations, the BRK covers around 75 percent of the supply throughout Bavaria.
The condition returns to normal
Nevertheless, Nohe gives the all-clear: “The basic supply is currently guaranteed.” The state is normalizing again. Also because operations that could be planned are now being postponed again. “But,” he says honestly, “there is still room for improvement.” The BRK does a lot to ensure that donors come. For example, they were looking for rooms such as gyms so that the precious juice could be dispensed with a corona-fair distance, and a lot of advertising was done. According to the spokesman, it is important not to spread a “permanent alarm mood”, but rather to create a balance between clarification, calm and necessity.
“Under no circumstances,” Nohe makes clear, “people should get used to the fact that there is simply not enough blood.” And then Nohe speaks of the “flowing waters of solidarity”. There was no lack of solidarity in the first two waves: the willingness to donate was enormous. Young first-time donors in particular gave up a lot of blood during the peak of the pandemic. But even now you can donate, says spokesman Nohe. On the website of the BRK you can search for dates and the nearest mobile blood donation service. There is also a hotline: 0800/1194911.
But blood is also used in other forms. In people with leukemia or cancer, platelets are no longer produced in the bone marrow. In the case of a platelet donation, the platelets are selectively obtained during the donation process. How does the lower blood reserve affect therapies for cancer patients?
The director of the Medical Clinic III – Oncology and Hematology – at the University of Munich Clinic, Michael von Bergwelt, sums it up in three words. “It’s still enough,” he says, explaining that they too have worked intensively with the BRK. He also sees that, for example, the 3-G rules mean that the low threshold is being lost, which is, however, important for people to donate blood. Also, in the fourth corona wave, more people might be afraid for their own health. And like everywhere else, there is also a shortage of staff at the BRK.
“Oncological care is absolutely guaranteed”
But it also makes it very clear that platelet concentrates are simply always needed. They are not “halved” and only “durable” for a few days. But one tries to “adapt as well as possible” to the situation at the LMU-Klinikum Großhadern. For him, this means carefully considering which patients need what and, above all, how much. Based on a study by Bergwelt, for example, he and his team tried to give fewer transfusions. That means giving only one transfusion instead of the two usual ones up to now. “That works,” says von Bergwelt, who is also the head of the Covid Clinic on the Großhadern campus. However, if the patient does not tolerate this well, the procedure will of course be different. The oncological care is “absolutely guaranteed”. Treatments for leukemia, organ transplants and bone marrow transplants would of course be “carried out” despite the Covid problem.