MAGNUM

Currently, we test for weak D's on Rh negative babies of Rh negative moms, and units from the ARC that are labeled as Rh positive but testing Rh negative.

To keep or not to Keep, that is the question. My answer is to review the guidelines for your accrediting agency and follow their rules. I personally keep them for approximately 2 years because that is about how long it takes to fill a storage box. Once filled, I send to an offsite storage for another 2 years then they are destroyed.

Actually, the original intent was looking for the reader itself

There is also the Fetal Rosetting tests that require microscopic viewing

No, I do not accept tubes that are less than half full, The reasoning behind this is should we need to perform ID's and crossmatches, we want to insure that there is enough specimen to go around.

Thanks, this helps alot in trying to fulfill this CAP requirement. Although we do not keep Dry Ice in the laboratory and Blood Bank especially, we do receive it and have to handle it when we get shipments of FFP and Cryo in from the blood supplier.

Does anyone have a policy and procedure that they are willing to share as it pertains to Dry Ice. This is the CAP checklist question that I am referring to. **REVISED** 09/17/2019 GEN.77500 Liquid Nitrogen and Dry Ice Phase II Adequate policies, procedures, and practices are in place for the use of liquid nitrogen (LN2) and dry ice. NOTE: Practices for the safe handling of liquid nitrogen and dry ice include: 1. The mandatory use of appropriate gloves, shielding of all skin, and the use of a face shield or safety goggles when decanting or entering an open container of LN2 2. The mandatory use of insulated gloves, dry ice tongs or scoop, and safety goggles/ glasses when handling dry ice 3. Storage and use of all containers of LN2 and dry ice only in well-ventilated areas. Do not use or store dry ice or LN2 in confined areas, walk-in refrigerators, environmental chambers, or rooms without ventilation. An LN2 or CO2 leak in such an area could cause an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. 4. Availability of a Safety Data Sheet 5. Training on the safe handling of LN2 and dry ice 6. Signage displayed in areas where LN2 is used and/or stored 7. Plan for immediate treatment for individuals overcome by toxic or oxygen-displacing fumes REFERENCES 1) OSHA Quick Facts: Laboratory Safety Cryogens and Dry Ice. Occupational Safety and Health Administration Website. https:// www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-cryogens-dryice.pdf. Reviewed October 2011. Accessed 12/8/2017. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Scott

What about any coolers that might have been taken into the isolation room? Who is responsible for cleaning the cooler prior to it's return? Plus if it has been in an isolation room with COVID-19, who is going to go into the isolation room and retrieve the cooler and clean it appropriately prior to it being carried thru the hospital halls?

You could use a Data Logger, they take temperatures at specified intervals then you can download the data into a spreadsheet.

I forgot to mention that we are using Meditech.

Our tried and true Hematrax printer has finally just about bit the dirt and will need to be replaced. We will probably go with the updated Hematrax printer as a replacement. My question is: Once the printer is installed, what validation processes do we need to complete prior to being put into use? The labels should not change, so what is required?

I I removed my probe from its cover left it that way so that I could access the probe as needed. When completed, I just replace the probe in its cover but do not "lock" it into place.

I have a Helmer DH8, thaws 8 units in about 18 minutes.

I prefer to have a current specimen, and that is what our policy reads.

We filter the blood for them when making the aliquot, further filtration is not necessary.

For true traumas - 1 hour from receipt in laboratory. Cord bloods are batched and run at least once per shift except for night shift who are exempt from doing cords. I only require them to be done once on day shift and evening shift, but a lot of time they are performed 2 or 3 times depending on the number of specimens.

We as a lab used to use the FreshLoc system, but found that it was too unreliable for our puposes. In fact I had a CAP surveyor ask me if I would rather remove it from her sight and only use thermometer temps or receive a deficiency because the temperature system "missed" temperatures.

No we do not, unless the nurse absolutely demands that we do it. At that point we will use just regular biohazard bags.

When I started here a few years back, we were repeating the ABSC along with performing the Fetal Screen. I have since with the blessing of our Medical Director done away with the second ABSC.

Helmer 900h. Small with 5 shelves. As a matter fact, I have nearly converted all the old equipment to Helmer, they are too reliable not to.

We keep our units sitting up for the obvious reason of space limitations, and all the other reasons quoted before. The other Scott

We instituted the practice of retyping the patients if their histories could not be proven. To do so, we instituted the practice of performing the retypes on a different specimen collected at a different time within the previous 24 hrs or within 1 hr of the blood type verification in the LIS. The histories are checked on every patient in the blood bank, if they do not have a historical type, the phlebotomist is sent to the patient room to collect a new lavender top tube. It does not matter the type of the patient, if they have no history, they get retyped. This practice ties into CAP TRM.30575. We have actually "caught" incorrect collections by the RN's that collected the incorrect patient and labeled the specimen with the wrong patient information. This is our practice and we are sticking to it! The other Scott

we rarely perform this procedure. I have been in my present position of about 15 years, and we have only performed the exchange 3 times. since we are a level 3 NICU, we are the ones that get these babies.

I review units every day, looking them up in Meditech could not be easier

The patient gets billed, even though we can make the case for unnecessary testing.