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kate murphy

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Posts posted by kate murphy

  1. We do much the same as most, but we prepare in advance.  "Unknown, Patient" with a special ER-#### Medical record # in the lab system to allocate and print tags.  2 O Pos for males, 2 O Negs for females are kept on hand at all times.  

    Unknown patients in the ER are banded with a trauma # only until they are identified.  The emergency release form the ER sends to us has this #.  All we need to do is hand write this number on the already printed tags and send to the ER.  30 seconds.  When the patient is identified and we get a real medical record #, we either merge or re-allocate.  Usually we can track/trace all units.

    Specimens with only a trauma # are good as long as that the is the identification the ER/OR is using.  When name/MRN changes, we need a new spec.

    We do enough emergency issue, that having units tied up tagged is not a problem.  This system works well for us.

    We need 2 specs to confirm ABO.  We will issue group O rbc and AB plasma.

  2. We did this a few years ago.  Our medical director is conservative, and we sacrificed several FFP - thawed them and took samples for factor assays.  Then repeated factor assays at 24 hrs, 48, 72...  What you really just want to show is that x% of factors are still present at 5 days.  So you just need to set what x% is acceptable.  I think we set 80% of FVII and fibrinogen. 

  3. AABB Standards doesn't require much - 5.22.1  lists only patient's 2 identifiers, unit # and compatibility result.  With more hospitals on elec medical records, you really only need that and a downtime way for double signatures.  I've attached our unit tag - single ply pre-printed form in a dedicated printer for patient/unit info.  We print 2 at allocation and keep one when we issue.  Unit tag RBC 012417.pdf

  4. We do 2 folks to id all specs.  Phlebs use bedside scanning/printers.  Phlebs draw about 70%.  We firmly reject all non-signed specs.  No exceptions.  Especially from ED - every hospital I've been in, the ED is notorious for mislabeling, mis-identifying specs.  We're slowly getting bedside scanning/printing to nursing.

    L/D and ER are the most common places for WBIT (wrong blood in tube) across the country.  To drop your policy requiring positive id verification because people didn't like it, and then put your phleb staff in the middle is not right.  If you cannot get phleb staff to not use these specs, then I'd suggest another system - bloodloc, typenex, etc.  Safe transfusions begin with the spec.

  5. Thinking logically - if you are already extending specs 10-14 days, what would be different to extend to 28-30 days?  Yes they could go grab a pint (blood, not beer!) at another facility, but they could do that in the 10-14 day period, yes?  Is it that patients will remember something 2 weeks ago, but not 4 weeks ago?  Not likely.

    If someone in pre-op is documenting the answer to pregnant/transfusion in the past 3 months, that someone could also document patient understanding to report transfusion between sampling and surgery.  So you just really need a 3rd question on whatever form/computer order (for us Epic folks).

  6. There is no requirement to have medical director or physician sign off.  Any rules in place would be strictly internal policy.  But once it's policy for your facility, you have to follow it.  So it very much depends on the comfort of your pathologist/hematologist in charge.  If he/she is conservative, they will probably want to know.  if he/she is progressive, then not.  Either way, I'd think is should be in a policy/procedure spelled out for your staff. 

  7. It's not required yet for 5 day platelets.  That's coming soon, but the FDA is gathering comments and seeing what will happen with pathogen-reduction - how many blood centers will produce that and the cost. 

    We are currently using Verax for 6 & 7 day platelets.

  8. We utilize the National Blood Exchange and not our local supplier.  The upside is financial and more group O's, the downside is blood is flown in from various suppliers and we carry a slightly larger inventory than expected for our size.  Setting our target inventory range, I looked at usage over the last year by blood group.  We are a major trauma service, so we use disproportionate group O's.  We need to have enough O's for 3 major traumas at any given time, so we set our O inventory based on that.  Then we set the range for other blood groups. 

  9. Think logically about this.  The decay rate will not change.  Dosimetry is verifying the irradiation map of the canister or chamber.  If you have a way to verify the mechanical parts, then you should be good to go.  And the indicator is the run "QC" similar to run QC that we do with testing.  The most important part of the irradiator is the timer, that's what's governing the exposure. 

  10. Oddly enough, Wisconsin seems to have lots of Yta neg donors.  We had a patient a few years ago, and Community Blood Center of Appleton Wisc was able to supply us many liquid units. AABB members can use the National Blood Exchange to facilitate this.  So if you do decide to have blood on hand for 4-6 weeks, give them a call.

  11. Well, think about what you're trying to do - validate the Neo technique is as good as/better than current methods.  What do you do with antibody ID now?  Only run Echo panels?  Other than correlations, do you augment Echo results with manual tests?  If you get ? Echo results, what's your process? Manual PeG or something else?  Those are the things I'd validate on all methods.

  12. As John Staley stated, inertia is the strongest force in the universe!

    We've been doing a manual 3 cell since we went to IS XM, same as DebbieL.  And then along came 'electronic XM' (sorry Malcolm) and inertia keeps us at 3 cell.

    Automated methods (Neo & Tango) are both 2 cell, but those methods are more sensitive.

    As with lots of things in the BB, it all depends on your medical director's comfort level...

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