[TRANSFUSING CELLS THAT HAVE ANTIBODY ID'D]

We would wash them, but then our patients are pediatric.

[What are your rules for ruling out?]

Our policy allows for rule out with two heterozygous cells, but I've never been comfortable with that.  I've seen antibodies that were negative with many, many heterozygous cells, but when you test them against a homozygous cell they react.

[Downtime Labeling]

We use HemaTrax.  It is easy to set up and use, and the same software is 'embedded' in SafeTrace.

[CAP competency requirements]

You've got a Vision.  How do you like it?

[CAP competency requirements]

How are Blood Banks defining their test systems for initial training and competency assessments to meet the 6 elements defined by CAP?

[Emergency RBC for Pediatric Hospital]

We do ECMO and have refrigerators in those locations.  We are thinking about getting a Blood Track Emerge for the Trauma Room in the ED.

[Blood Bank Software]

We narrowed it down to the same two companies.  I went with SafeTrace on the advice of my Quality Officer.  It is a very 'locked down' system, and many of the staff don't like that.  Softbank is more user friendly.  If I had to choose a new system right now, I would probably go with HCLL.

[Applied Blood Group Serology, 4th edition,by Issitt and Anstee]

I got the third edition from Amazon.

[safe trace and product id tags]

We use P-tag 67.  It has a label on the bottom half of the tag that you can peel off and put on the unit.

[Understanding E Code changes]

I email ICCBBA.

[Soft vs Mediware HCLL]

I looked at both these systems when Hemocare was sunsetted.  HCLL was brand new at the time, and I didn't want to go with something without a track record.  Also Mediware had become a very difficult company to work with.  I favoured Soft at the time, but my Quality Officer really liked SafeTrace, so we went with that.  The Blood Bank manager used HCLL at another hospital.  He said the company was no longer contentious and that they've gotten the bugs fixed for the most part.

[Epic and Sunquest BB Standalone]

By standalone, do you mean no interface?

[Hey Howdy Hey]

I work at Children's of Alabama.  I was the Blood Bank supervisor for 28 years.  Then I lost my mind and went to another hospital.  I hated it there and came back to CoA,  I now manage the computer system that I installed as supervisor (SafeTrace).  I love my job.  I am at a supervisor level, but I have no direct reports.  I'm learning all the time, and nobody else knows how to do what I do.

Gerry