The XXVIII Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion in Edinburgh closed on Thursday 15 July with delegates singing Auld Lang Syne accompanied by a Scottish piper. The congress had attracted a record number of over 2000 delegates.
The Congress was officially opened on Monday 12 July at the Usher Hall to the sound of pipes and drums, a Burns recital, the singing of Scottish ballads, and welcome addresses from the ISBT and BBTS Presidents. By that time there had already been a full day of education sessions to prepare delegates for the science to come.
The scientific programme included:
* 20 award and plenary presentations covering a wide range of topics ranging from the structure and function of red cell surface antigens, the chemical synthesis of universal group O red cells, the clinical relevance of HLA, and the future of human genome research to patient safety and blood transfusion in countries with limited resources;
* 46 state-of-the-art lectures;
* 79 abstract presentations;
* 8 lunchtime symposia;
* 4 meet-the-experts breakfast sessions;
* 1 roundtable discussion on resource limited services;
* over 400 poster presentations
The large and busy commercial exhibition took place on three sites, including a marquee on the exhibition centre car park.