Dozens of people in need of life-saving transplants were thrown in limbo this week by the Icelandic volcano that shut down much of Europe's airways.
"There have been some patients that have been affected by the closure of the airways to and from Europe," John Bromley, spokesperson for the Canadian Blood Services and OneMatch stem cell and marrow network told CTV News Channel Wednesday.
Bromley said because of privacy issues he could not say how many Canadians were affected.
He said case managers on both side of the Atlantic were working on contingency planning.
"They had to find a lot of contingencies -- they had to look towards ground travel, ferries – but now with the airports opening, that product is to move," Bromley said.
The last time transatlantic transplants were interrupted was after 9/11, when airports were closed for just a few days. Travel has been crippled for almost a week following the eruption of the volcano in Iceland.
Transatlantic transplants are difficult in the best of circumstances. If a match is found, both recipient and donor have to be prepared in advance.
Transplant teams only have 72 hours to deliver a batch of stem cells, which is usually airlifted straight to the hospital.
"70 per cent of patients needs a stem cell transplant have to find a match outside their immediate family," Bromley said, adding that sometimes matches are made in a foreign country.
There are about 130 transatlantic cases per year, Bromley told The Globe and Mail.
