John C. Staley

One thing I discovered in my many years as a Transfusion Service Supervisor is that inertia is the most powerful force in the Universe! Trying to initiate change, especially in blood banking can be extremely difficult, often impossible. Pick your battles carefully and make sure they are worth fighting. Good luck.

Just curious, but why even have a card catalog at all? That was the first thing I got rid of when we computerized my last blood bank. It took about a year, if I remember correctly, to move all the old info from the paper records into the computer. One thing we did was research each patient that we had not seen in over a year to see if they were deceased or assumed they were if over 100 years old and not seen for a certain period of time. It made no sense to fill space in the computer with patients who were obviously no longer with us.

My only thought is, "What is the motivation for such a change?" The retesting will still have to be done and you will pay for it one way or another so what, exactly are you hoping to accomplish?? A little convenience for the transfusion staff?

Just a side note that came to mind while reading this post. Do you still give Hgb-S negative blood for neonate transfusions? Back when I was still in the world we did so I was just wondering if it was still in vogue. If I remember correctly, the theory was to make sure we were not compromising the oxygen carrying ability for the neonate. Didn't mean to hijack David's post.

Some one has to ask so I guess I will. How confident are you that the 2nd sample actually came from this patient? I know it is unlikely but unlikely is not impossible, hence my question. Just a thought to consider. Bye the way, I agree with Malcolm's assessment.

Have you attempted an antibody identification panel?

What tipped me off that it wasn't you was the address. That and the some what cryptic message. I meant to let you know but then got sidetracked and forgot. Sorry about that. I don't know which is getting easier, being sidetracked or forgetting. They seem to go together.

I'm with exlimey, please clarify what you mean by positive antibody screen. One cell positive or all cells positive or something in between.

I'm not sure I want to admit this, and I have been out of the business for a while but, what on earth is "Uncertainty of Measurement"??? Can anyone tell be in 50 words or less? I think it's one more reason I'm glad I retired when I did.

Wow!! I find this incredible. Personally I consider this an incredibly over the top response! I hope it isn't wide spread among all blood suppliers.

Just for sake of argument, why is this a big deal??? You don't find a patient in a more controlled environment than an OR suite. If the original sample is drawn in the OR and is delivered directly to the blood bank where is the opportunity for mixing up the sample if it was labeled correctly in the OR? What, exactly are you trying to accomplish here? At some point is any process involving humans you will have to have a little faith that the others in the process are doing their part as it should be done. In emergency situations you need to make allowances. Which is the higher risk, running out of type O and not having it available for those who can have nothing else or the off chance of a patient getting the wrong type in this situation for any of the many reasons you can imagine? Just a little food for thought.

David answered your question exactly they way I would have. Validation does not require patient samples, only positive and negative samples in your testing procedures. Follow David's suggestions and you will be fine. The manufacturer has done all the heavy lifting to get it to market. You just need to show it works for you.

Yes, but the validation does not have to be exhaustive and unreasonable. All you need to do is prove that it works as advertised in your lab.

My best guess and it is nothing more than a guess, is that if these patient's require any support from the transfusion service it will be due to a preexisting condition and not the direct result of the corona virus. I don't recall in all my years, of any patients with pneumonia requiring a transfusion due to having pneumonia and I understand that pneumonia is the primary reason for hospitalization here. Now I may be way out there on this but only time and experience will tell.

Thanks for the info. That actually makes sense for a change.