During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, an intercity life relay took place in Jiangsu Province. On October 6, Jiangsu Blood Center(JSBC) received a request for assistance from Lianyungang. A 75-year-old female patient with severe anemia caused by MDS required urgent blood transfusion. However, this patient had a very rare Fya^- blood type, which accounts for about 0.3% of the Chinese population. Furthermore, she had high-frequency antibodies, making blood matching extremely challenging.

After receiving the call, JSBC promptly activated contingency mechanism. Immunohematology Reference Laboratory successfully matched two units of frozen blood products; Blood Supply Department managed the entire process of blood allocation; and Blood Component Preparation Department completed the blood preparation. By 11.00 a.m., the blood was successfully handed over to the retrieval vehicle. On the afternoon of the same day, the patient was successfully transfused and gradually stabilized.

This successful intervention was attributed to the sustained investment of JSBC in the development of a rare blood type registry over the past years. As one of the leading entities, JSBC has systematically carried out rare blood type screening, testing, and registration, and provided multiple cross-regional supports for clinical blood use.

To advance the integration and sharing of rare blood type resources, JSBC convened the Symposium on the Construction of Rare-Typed Blood Bank in the city of Suqian in September 2025. The initiative aimed to establish a unified rare blood type donor registry, and construct a collaborative platform linking the Yangtze River Delta region. Therefore, the capacity for contingency allocation and precision supply of rare blood type resources could be enhanced.

Behind each unit of rare blood lies the potential to sustain a precious human life. JSBC urges more citizens to engage in voluntary blood donation and undergo blood type screening. Let us build a reserve for patients with rare blood types and pass on hope.

Reported by the CSBT Secretariat;

Translated by ZHOU Yanjun;

Reviewed by MA Ling, ZHU Shanshan.