Blood Transfusion Medicine at Medlab Middle East Congress, Dubai, UAE, 2022 January

 The onset of COVID-19, and the impact of the various variants associated with the pandemic, has severely impacted blood donations across many countries.

As part of a commitment to supporting the laboratory industry, blood transfusion formed an integral part of the Medlab Middle East Congress programme in 2022, with the Blood Transfusion Medicine Conference taking place in-person on 27 January 2022 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

At the conference, A range of experts from the field outlined their findings and provided direction on the best course of action to encourage donors and ensure their safety at every point of the donation journey. Topics discussed included donor eligibility criteria with vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals, the challenges of finding a blood donor with the same blood, and a review of methods and indicators for red blood cell transfusions with neonate.

Leading the conference was Dr May Raouf, Head & Medical Director, Dubai Blood Donation Centre, Pathology & Genetics Department, Expert Member for Transfusion Safety, WHO, Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, ISBT, Dubai.

During the track, a dedicated session focused on donors and donations with Dr Ranjita Sharma, Head of Medical Care Unit, Dubai Health Authority, providing an insight into the Donor Eligibility Criteria during pandemics and the lesson learned. Joining Dr Sharma was Dr Ravi Mangal Patel, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; who spoke about neonatal red blood cell transfusion.

The Blood Transfusion Medicine Conference was part of a line up of nine CME accredited multi-disciplinary laboratory conferences that took place at Medlab Middle East Congress across 4 days from 24-27 January 2022, in Dubai, UAE. The conference tracks also included Laboratory Management, Histopathology, Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microbiology, Molecular & Genomic Diagnostics, Haematology and Covid-19 Updates. 

After the live, in-person show, delegates also had the opportunity to attend an online-only bonus conference track, Future of Lab, which took place from 31 January to 2 February 2022.

Informa Markets, the organisers of Medlab Middle East Congress, have announced the MENA region’s leading exhibition for the laboratory industry will return to a standalone event in 2023, taking place from 6-9 January 2023 following unprecedented demand from attendees for the 2022 edition of the show.

To learn more, visit www.medlabme.com/congress  
 

This report was authored by Rejoy Penacerrada.