[Evolution of the blood products distribution in France - detailed analysis in a regional blood transfusion centre]. / Evolution de la distribution des produits sanguins labiles en France - analyse détaillée au sein d'un Etablissement français du sang interrégional.

OBJECTIVE: The present increase of blood products distribution raises some adaptation questions. To understand this evolution, it is necessary to assure patients needs satisfaction. STUDY DESIGN: The study focuses on years 1997 to 2007. All blood products and hospitals are taken into account. The possible impact of size and clinical specialties is analyzed for the main hospitals. RESULTS: The evolution varies according to blood product: continuous drop for autologous red cells and plasmas, drop and rise for homologous red cells and platelets with a turnaround in 2001-2002, reverse and more chaotic movement for homologous plasmas. These movements are the result of public hospitals, with an upsurge of the medium sized ones. Private hospitals go down for all blood products, with a concentration on the larger ones. Surgical hospitals fall from 3 to 4% for all blood products, while medical ones rise of 3% for homologous red cells, 27% for platelets and fall of 10% for homologous plasmas. Private mixed hospitals fall for all blood products, while public ones rise for homologous red cells and platelets. CONCLUSION: Evolution understanding of blood products distribution requires precisions about the kind of products and the hospitals status and specialties: medical, surgical, even obstetrical or urgency-related. The present trend is a rise for public hospitals and medical specialties, which are both the largest. Blood transfusion needs will thus go on rising in the years to come.

Prevalence and significance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia in HCV antibody-positive subjects from various populations.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is currently assessed by detection of antibodies to HCV with immunoassays. However, in the absence of an in vitro system to isolate the virus, or an immunoassay to identify HCV antigen in blood, an ongoing acute or chronic HCV infection can be diagnosed only by detection of HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. We used a reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction to detect an HCV 5' noncoding viral RNA sequence in serum specimens collected from anti-HCV-positive individuals belonging to different risk groups and compared the results with those obtained with a prototype recombinant immunoblot assay (Chiron HCV SIA prototype recombinant immunoblot assay [RIBA]) containing four different viral peptides (c22, c33c, c100, and NS5). The prevalence of HCV viremia ranged from 25.9% in HCV antibody-positive blood donors to 92% in HCV antibody-positive hemophiliacs. Elevated alanine aminotransferase values in HCV antibody-positive patients were clearly associated with viremia. Ninety-six percent of HCV RNA-positive patients reacted to two viral antigens or more, compared with only 64% of HCV RNA-negative patients. Contrary to previous reports, HCV viremia was not associated with either the presence or the absence of a particular antibody specificity. The newly introduced NS5 peptide did not improve the sensitivity or specificity of the RIBA. Although 20% of the patients in our study whose sera reacted to all of the antigens were HCV RNA negative, the positive predictive value of a RIBA considered positive by the manufacturer (two or more bands), was rather high (78%) and may allow suspicion of viremia in EIA2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-positive patients.