[Report on notifications pursuant to §21 German Transfusion Act for 2010 and 2011]. / Bericht zur Meldung nach § 21 TFG für die Jahre 2010 und 2011.

This report covers the blood supply situation in Germany over the past 12 years and provides detailed data on the years 2010 and 2011. Nearly 7.6 million donations, thereof 4.9 million whole blood donations, were reported in 2011 - the highest number since 1998. At the same time, 4.8 million red blood cell concentrates (RBC) were produced, the highest amount per year to date. While the RBC loss rate increased for both the manufacturers and the users, the RBC transfusion rate decreased for the first time since 2003. The number of platelet concentrates increased again to 0.57 million. About 60 % of this originated from apheresis donations. An amount of 3.4 million liters of plasma for fractionation was provided. Around 60 % was processed in Germany. The number of hematopoietic stem cell transplantations increased from 5,922 in 2009 to 7,093 in 2011. More than 99 % of the 16,364 transplants derived from peripheral blood and marrow; 43 % of the preparations were transplanted in Germany and 27 % were exported. Overall, the supply of blood products is considered to be good. However, because data are collected on an annual basis, seasonal shortages cannot be detected.