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Blood bank specimens here require 2 patient identifiers plus a sticker from a blood bank armband that is directly attached to a patient appendage. Our required identifiers for inpatients are full name and MR#. The labels that print at bedside include the birthdate, but birthdate is not a required identifier. We do, however, use birthdate as one possible patient identifier for outpatients. Specimens from outside clinics for reference work (prenatal panels) are acceptable with the name and a birthdate. We've stuck with our blood bank armbands because we've watched how some patients have gotten armbanded on the floor...staff member walks into room and slaps on band OR staff member walks into room, says 'Are you Fred?' and slaps on armband OR any other similar variation. That is definitely not policy, but it is human behavior. Blood bank specimens are lab draw, with some exceptions from the OR. We have a very strict policy about the removal of blood bank armbands - only we cut them off, or give permission for them to be cut off, unless the patient is being discharged. We've been doing that for long enough that we lose almost no bands. We have the full support of Quality to enforce the armband policy.

Oh no, I get it. We do not dismiss things like this here out of hand either! But I know of other Labs where they have different policies regarding follow-up testing for cases like these. (I suppose they would say that when they hear the sound of horses hooves they don't bother looking for aardvarks, pigeons or spyrogyra...) Scott

Thanks, Malcolm Actually i decide to registri because of you knowledge in Immunohematology!

Welcome Lucas Souza.

You know me Scott, I hate to look for zebras when I hear the sound of horses hooves (!!!!!!!!!!!!!), but did you see the reference below, where a patient "came across" the same donor a second time (fortunately ex-vivo). Lemay A-S, Tong TN, Branch DR, Huang M, Sumner C, Oldfield L, Hawes J, Cserti-Gazdewich CM, Lau W. The first case of severe acute transfusion reaction caused by anti-Sc2. Transfusion 2018; 58: 2506-2512. Doi:10.1111/trf.14867.

The difference between a BB armband and having only a hospital armband is significant only if the Lab is responsible for specimens drawn under the BB armband. One needs a strict policy regarding the use of BB armbands to make them effective for avoiding things like mis-labeling and lost armbands. Scott