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No, I meant ABO identical. Giving A plasma to O patients is not a good idea, despite 100 years of practice, give or take. A plasma contains soluble A antigen glycolipids and glycoproteins, and these interact with the anti-A in the group O recipient, forming huge immune complexes. We and others have observed that patients receiving "compatible plasma" have increased bleeding, increased lung injury and increased risks of infection. The studies that suggest this isn't true are fatally flawed by characterizing the patients receiving platelets or plasma by their first transfusion (ABO identical or not), regardless of what subsequent transfusions they received. Stick with ABO identical if at all possible.

I couldn't agree more with you YorkshireExile. At a stretch, and I mean, at a stretch, it MAY be relevant to such tests as quantification and titrations, where you are giving a result involving a measured number, ascertained with red cells that may express different numbers of antigens, which may themselves involve protein or carbohydrate substitutions, but that is all. How on Earth your inspector thought that this was remotely relevant to blood grouping, with all the positive and negative controls used to ensure the antisera are working properly, and the temperature mapping of everything these days, like you, I cannot see the point. Either he or she was trying to justify their position as an inspector, and/or was going well over the top. I would be amongst the first to say, very loudly, that Quality in the world of Blood Transfusion was pretty low at one point, but now, there are times when Quality issues actually interfere with the laboratory doing its job, for no good reason, and this seems to me to be one. END OF RANT.

We have all codes in safetrace. 1) anyone has thought about billing code? 2) also order service table: this will be same as FFP, right?

I think ICCBBA may release some information on 1 April. They are, of course, operating under the same sort of constraints as the rest of us.

I asked the blood bank manager and director if I need to put these codes in our computer system; I have not heard back from them.

Blood shortages are a big problem in parts of the US. Donors are not presenting, drives are being cancelled. Those patients who normally need blood products will be affected by that. I can't speak to Covid19 patients specifically...yet. We have been asked to reduce our stock by 25% and cut usage by 25% so that blood products will be available for those who need it most.