Miami Herald - Wednesday, June 27, 1984
Ena Naunton, Herald Medical Writer

Is there a new blood test for AIDS?

No. There is a test being developed for a virus that has been detected in 90 percent of people with AIDS. Researchers do not know whether the virus, called HTLV-III, has a direct connection to AIDS.

So what is happening?

Blood banks in Miami, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are going to freeze and stockpile small samples of serum from all donors for the next four months -- a total of about 200,000 men and women. Later in the year, the samples will be examined with a new test looking for signs of HTLV-III virus. South Florida Blood Service, which supplies 135,000 units (under a pint each) of blood annually to 57 hospitals and dialysis centers in Dade, Broward and Monroe counties, is the only blood bank in Florida associated with the national study.

Can I give blood without taking part in the test?

Yes. You can tell the South Florida bank staff you don't want to have your blood tested. If you give blood in Palm Beach or to one of the few hospital-based blood banks, it will not be involved in the test.

Will all my blood be used in the test?

No. Only a small sample of it. What will happen to the rest?

It will be used for transfusion in the normal way. The blood banks are testing samples from their normal blood supply.

But is it safe to have a transfusion from this tested blood?

It's the same blood that would be donated, whether the test was done or not. So it's as safe to have a blood transfusion in July or August as it was in May or June.

What are my chances of getting AIDS from a blood transfusion?

"One in a million," says Dr. Peter Tomasulo, director of the South Florida Blood Service. About 53 adult cases of AIDS nationwide have been tentatively linked to transfusions. About 3.3 million people receive blood transfusions every year in the United States.

I'm going to have an operation in the next few months. What can I do to be sure I receive the safest blood available for a possible transfusion?

The safest way is to use your own blood. Your doctor can order a blood bank -- several are connected to local hospitals -- to draw some of your own blood over a period of time before the operation. The South Florida Blood Service also will draw your blood, process it and give it to the hospital. If you don't need the blood, it is returned to the general blood supply.

Should I postpone my surgery?

"As soon as test kits are available, every blood bank will be testing its donors and every donor with a positive test for HTLV-III will be excluded from the pool," said Dr. Luiz Barbosa of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Test kits, now under limited production, may be available in about six months, he said.

However, people considering putting off their surgery should "weigh the benefits against the risks," said the South Florida Blood Service's Dr. Lenes.

"You never receive a transfusion unless it's necessary," he said. "If you need the surgery, if you need a transfusion, the risk of developing AIDS from the transfusion is so minuscule that it should not be a consideration."

I am perfectly healthy and a blood donor. Is it likely that I will hear any more about this if I give blood in the next three or four months?

Only if your blood is positive for HTLV-III. That's a remote chance, but one-half of one percent of healthy people tested -- about 150 people in South Florida -- could have signs of the virus.

If I do, does that mean I could get AIDS?

Not necessarily. But your health would be watched closely.

What if I got the blood from a donor whose blood showed a positive test result?

The same thing would apply. There is nothing yet to say that you would risk contracting AIDS, but you would be watched closely.

If I sign the consent form as a donor, what am I agreeing to do? The consent form, which is still being developed, will request your permission to be called later for research purposes. Since the blood is being taken at the same time as the rest of the donation, blood bankers say they see no cause for the donor to claim injury.

Do people receiving transfusions sign consent forms?

Yes. They are carefully worded to explain the risks, notably concerning viral hepatitis.

Q. If I receive some blood during an operation that later shows a positive reaction for virus in this test, what can I do about it medically? Officials are vague about that. They talk about "watching" such a person for three years to see if anything happens. But, at present, they don't know what a positive test means.

So what can I do about it legally?

"Whether liability (on a hospital's part) will exist will depend on how likely is the risk of harm and how well informed the recipient is about the risk," Thornton said.

If a direct link between the virus and AIDS or any other disease is established, and if it is proved that it can be passed on by transfusion, then a blood bank or hospital might be liable for using that blood. There are plans to reject all HTLV-III positive blood once test kits are available. But, in the absence of a confirmed test, blood bankers say they can only do what they have done right along: use blood from the general pool.

"We are not knowingly transfusing positives," said Lenes. The blood banks in the test program are doing the same as all other blood banks in the country -- transfusing blood that, at present, cannot be tested for HTLV-III virus, because there is no test material available.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1984. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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