The Banc de Sang i Teixits de les Illes Balears (BSTIB) closes the year 2023 with outstanding achievements in its areas of action

The Blood and Tissue Bank today presented its activity report for the year 2023 at the meeting of the institution’s Board of Trustees.

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Banc de Sang i Teixits de les Illes Balears

2023 has been the year with the largest distribution of tissues and breast milk since the beginning of the activity of the Tissue Bank and the Mother’s Milk Bank.

The implementation of the cornea donor program in the Son Espases and Son Llàtzer emergency departments has made it possible to cover the demand after years of shortage, with an increase of 165.5% in corneal donations. Thus, 111 corneas have been distributed.

The Tissue Bank has obtained 24 osteotendinous tissue donors, which have generated 1,357 pieces, used in 1,663 implants for 1,277 patients. The increase is 18.5% over the previous year.

In the Mother’s Milk Bank, 82 donors provided 458.52 liters of milk, distributed to 154 recipients, the highest figure since the Bank’s creation.

2023 marked the launch of the Advanced Therapies Platform, in collaboration with IdISBa, and the start of the accreditation process for the production of mesenchymal cell-based drugs. The lines of work include platelet-rich plasma, autologous serum eye drops and corneal culture.

The Balearic Cord Blood Donation Program, in collaboration with the Barcelona Cord Blood Bank, collected 61 units, sent to treat international patients.

Blood Bank

For the fifteenth consecutive year, the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands has been self-sufficient in blood donations. This year, the “License to Save Lives” campaign was launched to increase the number of new donors, accompanied by the renovation of the citation web platform, which has facilitated the scheduling of donations. In addition, 53 educational sessions have been held in schools and 68 donation campaigns have been organized in the school environment.

The Balearic Islands totaled 35,910 blood donations in 2023, a decrease of 4% compared to the previous year. 1,249 donation campaigns have been organized in 122 places, which have attracted 20,697 donors. Of these, 2,470 were first-time donors, an increase of 20%. Despite the overall decrease in donations, Menorca recorded an increase of 15%.

If we compare the 2023 data with those before the pandemic, the number of new donors has dropped significantly, with only 2,471 people donating for the first time in 2023, 38.5% less than in 2019, accumulating a loss of 9,000 new donors in the last 4 years. The average age of donors has increased and 1,600 fewer campaigns have been organized in the last 4 years.

Thanks to the donations, 32,113 units of red blood cells, 5,498 units of platelets and 2,829 units of plasma were distributed in the hospitals of the Balearic Islands. The Son Espases Hospital, as a reference center, received 36% of the red blood cell units, demonstrating the vital importance of donations for medical care. These donations are used to attend to 10,000 patients requiring transfusions*.

Of the blood products obtained from donations, 20,178 vials of albumin, 2,619 vials of plangama and 1,338 vials of prolactin were distributed.

The BSTIB has published nine articles in scientific journals. Vicenç Juan Verger is the new president of its Teaching, Research and Innovation Commission.

The #InvisiblesCOVID gala recognized the work of BSTIB professionals and donors, and two female researchers received awards at the X Jornadas IdISBa 2023.

In the Human Resources section, the retirement of Dr. Antoni Gayà, creator and promoter of the Tissue Bank, as well as the appointment of Rosa Maria Tarragó as the new managing director and Dr. Javier Calvo as technical director of the Tissue Bank.