It will be possible to test for antibodies and get vaccinated against the coronavirus for free, but with one condition

People who donate blood to the Blood Center of Santara Clinics are also attracted with special incentives. Lina Kryžauskaitė, a hematologist at the Santara Clinics, spoke about the situation at the Delfi rytas fair.

– What is the real situation and what does the critical blood shortage mean?

– Critical blood shortage means that the blood supply limit has been reached when it can only be sufficient for emergencies. Blood must be planned and reserved for planned situations. No elective surgery, especially a larger one, can be done unless you are sure you have a blood supply.

It’s no secret: we had activities suspended throughout the year when those operations did not take place. Now that the number of infections has dropped and hospitals have opened, those surgeries will be repeated and repeated at a rate that will undoubtedly be higher than before. People will likely come with complicated cases as well, so more of those blood components will be needed.

We noticed that it was during this week that the need for blood increased more than one and a half times. The number of donors may be similar, but the need is very high.

We also face the same problem as every year, next summer. Another important thing is the end of the quarantine: people released him from their grip. Freedom has arrived, everyone is preparing for a vacation and there is a fear that there will not be enough blood if we have more urgent situations, such as high blood levels, especially blood groups such as the first positive, the second positive. Perhaps it will surprise others: how can it be here? After all, these are the most common blood types. Yes, the most common blood types among all of us: both healthy and diseased donors. Blood cannot be lacking in these groups. Your stock should be the largest part – at least 100, 200 units, and now we have 40 and 70 units of the first and second positive blood group, respectively.

This, I believe, is a critical threshold. We spoke on social media 2-3 weeks ago: we called, we spoke, that the situation is critically weak, but now the situation is real, I would not call it tragic, but close to the limit in the 21st century that we lost. a patient because we lacked blood. It can’t be like that!

The blood centers, the staff, and I, as the manager, must make sure that the doctor who is operating, who is trying to save the patient, has that blood. We have to give it to him. We are just a middle station until then. But the main source, there is no other, there is no other individual treatment, only donor blood. I would like people to do it because we need to know that perhaps the relatives, the relatives need or, God forbid, they will need that blood tomorrow. It is important that it is there and that we do not say ‘sadly’.

– Not only the Santara clinics announce blood shortages, but also the National Blood Center. Is there seasonality here? Is it because of the summer that fewer people are going to donate?

– Okay, yes. Seasonality is. We have two out of three summer months. People are definitely planning their vacations. They leave, they are difficult to reach. Vilnius is a capital where people don’t stay either, all the more so because the situation is post-quarantine, when everyone tries to escape and doesn’t think about anything. We get out of such a situation that we are left alone to think.

And the blood components, as you know, are not valid for a long time. He says, “Oh hook up, you’ll have and they’ll have enough.” Erythrocyte mass is the main component that we all proclaim [pavojų], valid for only 40 days – blood ages. Children, babies, and newborns need 5 days of fresh blood. Platelet components are valid for only 5 days. So this current must be uninterrupted.

If one day we collect less than we dispense and dispense up to 1.5 or 2 times more blood in some groups, we go into debt the next day and work with the same resources, under the same conditions. We need to ensure the safety of donors and staff, because less than 40% of those vaccinated are not there yet. So we have challenges.

After quarantine, resumption of operations, active activities (and very complex procedures are performed in Santara clinics, which can really require a lot of blood), the blood shortage could prevent it. At the end of the quarantine period, when we meet shoulder to shoulder for freedom, let’s seek life. When [iš karantino] we’d go out with our heads raised and it wouldn’t be a shame if we didn’t do anything after that.

– For whom, in what operations is this blood used? Can vital operations for a person be stopped?

– Extreme operations to save a person’s life are called vital to a person. These surgeries occur when there is some type of internal bleeding, a large blood vessel is missing, when that blood is needed a lot.

Even in emergency situations, a lot of blood can be consumed. We have had events in which we have consumed almost 10 liters of blood per patient, that is, two volumes of their blood, and various blood components.

Even in emergency situations, the current amounts may not be enough. And planned and cardiac surgeries, large-scale abdominal surgeries, each have their own risk of bleeding: some lower, some higher.

Certainly no one will dare to undergo an operation unless the day or two have been specially selected for that patient, the blood reserved for that operation. This blood is waiting for the patient to be operated on. If it ends without complications, the blood returns to its shared location, but must be reserved.

And if we see that it is not enough to cover these stocks for emergencies, we will not be able to say that that patient will have blood tomorrow.

– What is the path from donating blood to hospitalization? Is it true that blood is tested for viruses such as HIV or hepatitis B and C? Perhaps this will encourage people to donate blood, as they will be screened for serious illnesses?

– You see, the purpose of donating blood is not to control a person, examine them, or seek to attract patients so that they have some desire or intention to verify and hide some facts.

Therefore, it is even forbidden to encourage people to get tested for blood-borne infections like HIV, Hepatitis B and C. Here is my opinion and the whole world supports it so that we do not invite people to do it .

Although donors are screened, they go through a safety phase from filling out questionnaires to donor screening by doctors, and this screening is done every time you donate, reducing the risk of transmitting infections to a minimum , but certainly not zero.

Therefore, each step is very important for a person to consciously understand: I come to donate not because I have a check, but because my blood is healthy and I do not give anything to the patient, I do not harm that blood.

Our mission as blood centers is to ensure that the blood collected is analyzed, is of good quality, meets the requirements and that the transfusion is successful.

What we can and do is start and launch a new initiative starting today: we will invite donors to check their vaccination status after COVID-19. Rasite [informaciją apie tai] on our social networks. Those tests will be done at the time of donation. They will be able to encourage donation.

We will also be able to offer vaccines the same day of donation at the Santara clinics in the same location. It will also be an incentive for people to come.

Those who notice and come out there, thank you very much to those people, that two percent, that’s the limit when there would be enough people to donate blood who would come without asking anyone. These are the real heroes. Even during these years of quarantine, they came 3-4 times to donate blood. Those iron stores are also such that they need time to replenish and some of them have run out of iron stores. I had to share iron, investigate. But these are really temporary inconveniences, inconveniences for the donor, and certainly not something that requires stopping the donation for a long time.

And anyone else who might be afraid of needles, weakness, or other things to encourage maybe other beautiful things.

– June 14 is World Blood Donor Day. What message would you like to convey to other people who have thought about donating but maybe the needles are stuck, maybe they can’t find time to get there? Why is donation important?

– In fact, this month is dedicated to blood donors and the world celebrates this holiday every year to thank and honor them. And we are preparing beautiful initiatives: we will welcome the donors who have come, donated. There were those who did it 100 and 200 times!

Regarding the statistics, I would like to add that, as I said, for the country to be self-sufficient [krauju], requires 2 percent. donating populations. We have it like this. We are above 2.3 percent. and we are among the countries that correspond to the number of donations per 1,000 inhabitants. Clearly, the Germans are in first place. They have achieved very good results.

I calculated that if 6 percent. 60 percent. who could donate, would, it would be enough to come once and we would have no shortage of blood, we would cover the needs of all of Lithuania.

On Donor Day I would like to thank everyone once again, those who come, who do it constantly, who know what donation is and what its value is. There are great health benefits – far more pros than temporary cons and cons.

We must speak from an early age so that a person understands it, not the Blood Center needs it (we just want the doctor and the patient to feel calm), the patients are asking for it on our lips. The main source is the donor. This has been the case for more than 100 years: the only irreplaceable source of blood replacement is the donor.

One day you are on one side of the “hose”, the next day you are on the other side. We don’t have a big community in Lithuania, maybe not 3 million inhabitants. Gali [ligoninėje atsidurti] friend, relative. What if there is no that blood? The so-called blood bank must accumulate today.

I did the work, went on vacation, and gave up. In the same way, the other person has to think, “I did it, I gave up.” When we put it in a pile, we don’t ring the alarm bells and go into that groove, realizing that this is a natural process that cannot be interrupted even for a minute.

Those who wish to donate blood are invited to pre-register for a donation by calling (8–676) 00078, (8–688) 62707 or by sending an email. email [email protected].