The 14th Annual Symposium on Transfusion Medicine and Alternatives was held in Vienna, Austria, on April 18-19, 2013.

The symposium was attended by 500 delegates from over 40 countries. The evaluation summary will be posted here shortly, and slide presentations in PDF format will be made available in the Members section of Nataonline.

The 15th Annual NATA Symposium on Patient Blood Management, Hemostasis and Thrombosis will take place in Porto, Portugal, on April 10-11, 2014.

Jehovah's Witness (JW) patients strictly refuse allogeneic blood transfusion (red blood cells, plasma and platelets), even in the presence of life-threatening anemia and/or coagulopathy. However, today JW patients can undergo major surgical procedures without facing an excessive risk of death—provided that a prospectively conceived and structured perioperative management is applied.

In a Nataonline Focused Update, Prof. Oliver Habler, Department of Anesthesiology, Surgical Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy, Krankenhaus Nordwest GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany, reviews the perioperative management of JW patients with emphasis on the following cornerstones: (1) the preoperative optimization of cardiopulmonary status and the correction of preoperative anemia and coagulopathy, (2) the perioperative collection of autologous blood, (3) the minimization of perioperative blood loss and (4) the utilization of the organism’s natural tolerance to anemia and its acute accentuation in the case of life-threatening anemia.

Intravenous (IV) iron is an important therapeutic modality for anemia management. Seven IV iron formulations are available in the United States and/or Europe. In a Nataonline Focused Update, Dr. Michael Auerbach, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA, reviews recent evidence on the safety of available IV iron formulations.

In line with our new website and as a result of NATA’s decision to invest more in electronic ways of promoting our network, I would like to inform you about a change in membership arrangements.

You may have noticed that a new Members section was recently added to the website. It is anticipated that in the future this section will contain webcasts of interest to members as well as the presentations delivered at NATA meetings. In addition, we hope to provide details of other members, subject to their approval, to enhance the ability for members to contact each other. In the fullness of time, various live discussions may be possible and can be held within this “Members only” section.

As this activity does not require the provision of printed material, it has had an effect on the membership fee to join NATA. The annual membership fee is now EUR 50 and can be paid online via the Nataonline website (Members area). Active membership will entitle the member to a EUR 50 reduction of the registration price at the annual symposium. I urge you to join as a new member or renew your membership via the link below to take advantage of this exciting new venture.

Dafydd Thomas
NATA Chair
NATA Members section

The first Korean Research Society on Transfusion Alternatives (KRSTA) – Network for Advancement of Transfusion Alternatives (NATA) joint symposium will take place in Seoul, Korea, on October 3-4, 2013.

The preliminary scientific program is now available. Plenary sessions will be dedicated to the following topics:

• Perioperative anemia
• Blood management and surgery
• Blood conservation strategies
• Fluid therapy
• Perioperative hemostasis and thrombosis
• Management of critical bleeding

Six NATA representatives will participate in the symposium:

• Prof. Jean-François Hardy (Canada)
• Prof. Charles-Marc Samama (France)
• Dr. Jakob Stensballe (Denmark)
• Dr. Dafydd Thomas (UK)
• Prof. Constatine Vagianos (Greece)
• Prof. Philippe Van der Liden (Belgium)

Click here for more information