Michaele

We do not do an IS XM when we have to do gel XM. Our computer system will stop us from issuing non compatible blood. Also, for the last 3 years I have been doing method comparisons between gel and IS XM showing that they correlate. Gel has picked up incompatibilities in ABO every time. My inspectors have been satisfied to this date. I'm due for another CAP any day, so I will let you know if they now have problems with it

Question--what are you all using for your taget completion of transfusion vitals tag (since everyone seems to have this problem)? MRPalisades uses <2.0 target. Years ago, our powers that be decided that our target needs to be 100% completion on the transfusion tag. Nursing staff can rarely meet that target.

Terri--I was just talking to someone about getting a BB disaster plan in place. Your ideas are wonderful. (Thanks yet again!!)

When we have to give incompatible due to a warm auto, we have the medical director sign a deviation form on the patient and we keep the deviation form in a noticable spot until the specimen expires.

Does anyone use this particular product for checking product temps at return? Interested in any information that you can give me. Thanks!

We are currently having the same issues. Our IS department contracted out the PC swapouts. They just came in and started switching PCs. Our BB system locked up, all of our interfaces to instrumentation won't work--in every department. Our link to our reference lab wasn't working, so we couldn't send out those tests. The downtime snapshots for our BB patient histories weren't working. IS response? "You are going to have some growing pains, you're just going to have to deal with it". ??!!!!!?! That doesn't work for me. They have now come back in and given us our old PCs back until they figure out the compatibility issues with interfaces and systems. Grrr. OK, thanks for letting me vent there for a minute. I'm all better now.

The nurses notify the physician and the Blood Bank. The doc can choose not to do a workup if he feels like it is due to the patient preexhisting condition. We do have authority to over-ride them though.

During our last inspection, CAP was ok with our using QC materials to test between tube and gel IAT. We used patient samples for correlations with DAT and XM. I think it's a personal preference with CAP inspectors.

Our 200 bed hospital (who is not part of a healthcare group, we are a stand alone hospital) has applied to be a level III trauma center. I have some questions on how the blood bank needs to be changed to accommodate the trauma needs. Currently, we do not keep platelets in house, and our supplier is an hour away. That is one thing that I need to address, I know. I would like to talk to other facilities who have went through this process that are similar to our facility. Would anyone who has went through this or have certification for a level II or III trauma be willing to talk to me? I can call your at your convenience... Thanks so much!

We would start with 2 ONeg, then switch. Hopefully have a patient type by then.

We aren't doing the complement DATs since we ran out of the complement control cells. I was told that our reagent was to be shipped on 2-3, never got it, called today and it was delayed again.

So how many out there use Rh control during blood typing? We have always used it with every typing. Our anti-D reagent is monoclonal. I just got word that our Rh control is being discontinued, so wondering if we need to continue this practice. Any guidance is appreciated.

Well, if this will make you feel any better:: our former cardiac surgeon requested 6 apheresis with EVERY case. Then wouldn't use them all. He wouldn't listen to me, our pathologist, our regional ARC medical director, NO ONE. All I can say I'm glad he's our former cardiac surgeon.

Usually your patient will tolerate out of group platelets if you can't get group specific. We try to give group specific whenever possible, but can't always get them. We have never had a patient that had problems.

We actually never had our own blood bank bracelet, we use the hospital arm band. On it lists the patient name, DOB, and Medical Record Number. We use those three identifiers. Has always worked well for us, but the lab is the only ones who draw blood bank samples (physicians in surgery are an exception). Until that changes, we will just use the hospital arm band.