Blood shortage leads to canceled surgeries

(1/18/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- The situation is serious at Houston hospitals, where there is a real need for blood and where surgeries are being put on hold to deal with the shortage.

The Texas Medical Center and other hospitals around town were hit hard by the winter weather in Houston and across Texas. It not only kept regular donors away, but also forced organizers to cancel blood drives and blocked shipments expected from other cities.

They're actually having to ration blood at the worlds biggest cancer center. They have been canceling cancer surgeries this week with no end in sight.

"We've had to cancel between 10 and 15 cases over the last three days because of the shortage," said Dr. Garrett Walsh, head of surgical services at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The blood supply there is so low, they think surgeries Friday and all of next week will also be canceled. And that's a real hardship for patients.

"They come from all areas of the U.S.; they come to Houston. They get geared to the time of surgery and then when you tell them the operation is canceled because of a blood shortage, there's obviously a tremendous amount of anxiety surrounding that," said Dr. Walsh.

Surgeries are often timed between radiation and chemotherapy treatment programs. And canceling is hard, too, because many surgeries involve huge medical teams because they're so complex.

"We need both these shelves filled," said Dr. Kurt Sizer, medical director at M.D. Anderson "We need about 80 units a day."

But when we went on Thursday, there were two. Wednesday, there was only one. The supply is critically low in all blood types, worse for types O and type B. That means people like leukemia patients who need regular blood transfusions are also being rationed. A team of transfusion experts and doctors is forced to play God, deciding which patients need the blood the most.

"Have you ever put anybody's health at risk because you can't give them the blood treatment?" we asked.

"I think anytime you have to do that, you really actually do," said Dr. Sizer. "And you really are trying to allocate a scarce resource and do the minimal amount of damage."

During the bad weather, they've been leaning heavily on the hospital's employees. But now the biggest user of blood in Texas is running out of employee sleeves to roll up.

M.D. Anderson has three blood donation sites -- one in the hospital, one across the street in its outpatient building and one south of the hospital on Fannin with free parking. They usually close at 7pm, but will stay open tonight for donors. For more information on being a donor, or information on setting up a blood drive to help the hospital, call 713-792-7777. Or click here.

One-hundred donors a day for the next two weeks should replenish the blood.