cbaldwin

We have tried several computers and tried the internet connection at work and at home--no luck with opening this file. We can open other power point presentations! Is it difficult to split it into smaller parts?

Thanks! I have a lot of questions. My course is excellent and I have found a lot of extra information on this forum!

I'm just a student, and just had a little information about "gentle heat" elution, and got pretty excited about it, so that's where my comment came from. After I posted I realized I really didn't know what I was talking about...I think I need to do a little more studying before I post again! The course that I am taking refers to "gentle heat" elution, but only as a way to remove antibody so that the red cell is preserved and that phenotyping can be done. Please forgive my enthusiasm--maybe someday I will understand! (I HOPE!) Thank you! Yes, Mark Twain--"It is better to be presumed a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Thank you! I will have my tech support (my husband) check my internet connection. If something is amiss I will get back to you. This was my first time asking for help and I am not sure I submitted the ticket correctly. I am learning! Thank you! I would like to view the lectin presentation!

I'm sure you have checked the AABB manual, but does method 2-19 "Using Gentle Heat Elution To Test Red Cells With A Positive DAT" on page 890 of the 17th edition of the AABB manual sound like what you are looking for? It uses a temperature of 45C.

Thank you Malcolm! I have submitted a ticket requesting help! CLB

I am trying to view the lectin power point presentation that is in the library of this web site. I am able to open other presentations, but not the lectin one. Any advice?

I am a student and am reviewing this very interesting case because I am trying to understand ABO discrepancies that are cause by subgroups of A and B. After reading this thread and reviewing page 120 of Harmening's Modern Blood Banking, I am wondering how it was determined that this patient had Bel and not Bm . And, my next question, is it true that usually it is enough to know that an A or B subgroup is causing the discrepancy, and the actual identification of the subgroup is interesting but not necessary? Besides Harmening's book, what is a good source for information on subgroups? The Antigen Fact Book? Thank you!

Thank you! I forgot that polyagglutination was a problem in the old days before monoclonal reagents. I was asking anyone or everyone who might answer, and I was referring to Dianne's SOP. On page 5 of her SOP the name Arachis hypogea lept out, probably because it was italicized, and I had to rush to the books to remind myself of things pertaining to lectins and polyagglutination.

Thank you for sharing this procedure! It is extremely thorough. If you suspect a discrepancy due to polyagglutination by a T antigen, would you send the specimen out for a full lectin panel, including Salvia sclarea, Salvia horminum, Dolichos biflorus and Glycine max as well as Arachis hypogaea in case it was a non-microbial polyagglutinin such as Tn or Cad? My question arises from information I obtained on page 513 of Harmening’s 5th Edition of Modern Blood Banking.

Thanks for your offers of help and your suggestions! I think I found a mentor and I think things will go smoothly. I know how busy everyone is these days and I feel bad asking someone for time, but I am finding that people are enthusiastic about helping me! (Could it be my offer of cookies?)

Thanks for offering help! You have already helped me a lot over the last few years with your advice and informative posts. I have even perused educational materials you have submitted to the library on this site! I have some leads on people who might be my mentor and it's going to work out.

And, i make really fantastic cookies

I was just accepted into a 2 year SBB program sponsored by Blood Systems Laboratories. Feel very honored to have been accepted because there are only 9 positions and 27 people applied. The program is mostly on-line, and 15 times each year I will be sent specimens to work up. Once each semester I will be sent a test specimen. I will also need to do some research projects in the second year and some oral presentations. My problem? I need a mentor! I need someone with an SBB and 2 years experience or a MT degree with 3 years experience in Blood Bank who can meet with me every two weeks to discuss my progress/problems. The mentor will guide me and advise me, review my work, evaluate oral presentations, and communicate my progress with the education coordinator. The person I thought would be my mentor does not have the time to do this. I have 10 days to find a mentor! The education coordinator for this program would prefer that I find someone close enough to me that I can meet with face-to-face (I live in California, near the Nevada border, halfway between Reno and Las Vegas--our blood supplier is in Reno because that's the closet city to us). but I am going to try to see if our meetings could be conducted through Skype. Any suggestions? Ideas? Volunteers? I am very studious and will be a good student to oversee!

On page 439 of the AABB Technical Manual, 16th edition it is stated: ......"hospitals have developed different mechanisms to identify patients whose specimens have been collectd several days or weeks before surgery, including.......the placement of the wristband used during specimen collection on the patient’s medical record. The wristband is attached to the patient on the day of surgery after accurate identification of the patient” At our hospital we make out the blood bank band (name, MR#, birthdate, date/time drawn and phlebotomist’s initials) when we draw the presurgery specimen and clip the band to a form that has a sticky label with the patient’s name, MR#, birthdate, and a red unique blood bank number from the band. On the day of the surgery, we wait until the patient has been officially id’d and banded with the hospital id band, then we ask the patient their name and birthdate, we compare the name, medical record number and birthdate on the blood bank band with the same on the hospital band, then we band the patient. We document all of this on the form and keep the form forever. Only trained lab personnel are involved in the "delayed band" procedure and it is included in the annual competencies. We do this “delayed band” procedure because our interpretation of the AABB manual is that it is okay and we feel pretty confident that we are banding the correct patient when we ask the patient to identify themselves and when we make sure the blood bank band matches the hospital band. There is also an issue of confidentiality. Patients don't always want their community to know about their upcoming surgery. The bands are conspicuous even though they can be hidden under a long sleeve garment. I wore a band for several days to see how it held up with showers and other activities and many people stared at it and asked me about it. (One person thought it was an entrance id for a music festival.)

We recently received a request for a "Kline Hour Bed Key". We weren't sure if we should draw the patient or call the Locksmith.....

Our very remote 26-bed hospital is replacing our current LIS with McKesson, and as lead tech in our lab's transfusion service, I have been asked if the hospital should also purchase the Horizon blood bank system. Any opinions out there as to whether a small transfusion service would benefit from a system such as Horizon? On a monthly basis, we crossmatch about 45 units, transfuse about 30 units, perform about 80 antibody screens, and about once every two months we send out a positive antibody screen for id. Because we are remote, we have a large inventory for a small hospital, but keeping track of the inventory is easy. We do most billing manually, which takes time. Would the Horizon system enhance patient safety? There are so many facets to patient safety and computer systems only address a few. Opinions? Advice?

Thanks for your encouragement! I did contact our reference lab and they are going to let me observe/practice the more advanced techniques for a week. I am very happy about this.

Two years ago I became the blood bank lead tech/supervisor in a small, remote, rural hospital in California, even though my blood bank experience was limited--it is hard to find experienced blood bank techs who are willing to work in small, remote, rural hospitals. We transfuse 12-30 units a month here. I was extremely nervous about my new responsibilities and my lack of experience, so I worked hard to educate myself. I took several home study courses (I swear I have almost memorized "Modern Blood Banking and Transfusion Practices" by Denise Harmening), read through the AABB Technical Manual, and spent 4 days at a blood bank reference lab to familiarize myself with more advanced procedures. I also attend California Blood Bank Society and ASCP workshops and seminars and I've learned to call our Blood Bank reference lab for advice when I am unsure of something. So, now I love blood banking, and I have it in my head that I want to attend a SBB program. Our blood supplier. Blood Systems, is offering an on-line 2 year SBB program which I really want to apply for, but I am missing several requirements--I have never performed an antigen phenotype and I have never performed an elution. In fact, I've never performed antibody id's--just screens. I've read the procedures though! Blood Systems has told me that if I could go to a blood bank and observe or even perform an antigen phenotype and elution, this would qualify me to apply. Does anyone know of hospitals or reference labs in California or Nevada where I could drop in for a couple of days and perform these tests? Thanks! Catherine