Old Ohio Banker

We have since the mid 90s (when phlebotomy was decentralized) maintained a policy to give all group O red cells until a second sample drawn at a different time is confirmed.

Thanks anyway. I believe in their "beloved" Trauma literature, the data clearly (to them) indicate warming improves outcomes. We even keep the trauma room (in the ED) at 80 degrees!

Would you provide those references?

Our pediatric trauma service is adamant about the use of bloodwarmers. Evidently in trauma, it has been shown that all the cold fluids infused has caused physiologic issues. So, all our infusions in trauma cases are warmed. There are no other abuses of warming that I am aware of.

Would any of you be willing to share the protocols for patients when listed for a liver transplant? We are going to begin doing them here next year. Currently, we place our kids on a leuko-reduced, irradiated and CMV sero-negative (only if recipient is negative) before we ship them out for transplant. .I am especially interested in CMV, and whether it is "honored" serologically or by LR. Thanks!

I would appreciate any thoughts or SOPs on how you would handle this: A whole plateletpheresis is issued to the OR (with a "Store at Room Temp" conspicuously placed on the product). It is returned, unused about 4 hours later. What is your return policy on these products or any "yellow" products? If it comes back relatively quickly, I would think it a no-brainer to re-stock. When the timeframe of return reaches several hours, I become nervous about restocking the product for re-issue. But at >$500 a pop for the apheresis, it becomes supply/demand/financial to look at each case individually and make the decision on that basis. Thoughts?

10 years ago our phlebotomy moved to nursing. Our medical director at the time decided she would insist all patients receive group-O red cells until a second type (drawn a different time) was done. Luckily we are a pediatric facility and use alot of group O red cells and have been able to do this. I was shocked at this requirement when I first started here, but it works ok. We have many O units left from neonatal and ECMO reserves so it works ok for us. I agree with all the posters. CAP/AABB need to get into the real world!