tkakin

I am seeing a lot of bench techs given managerial responsibilities, no matter there qualifications if you give too much work you will have employees who cannot perform their best, fail, and burn out. So sad.

We also use expired units, or units the floor has requested and returned out of temp to validate the cooler.

I am interested in the Minnesota Thermal Science coolers. Has anyone validated them in colder than room temp evironments? If yes what temp was the environment? OR is often colder than room temp. I cannot get my Playmate coolers to keep products from going below 1C when in the OR. Thanks Teresa

Is it possible for a pregnant patient to type D negative (no weak D testing performed), then at delivery type as 2+. I recognize this is likely either a tech error or a phleb error, but I was wondering if anyone knew of this happening? Thanks Teresa

For one facility we enter transfusion data in the computer, for the other facility it is automatically transfused after a period of time from issue.

I have, what a mess.

I noticed the standard has been condensed and the Minimum Retention time is 10 years instead of 5years. If I have files in storage that expire in 2013, do I need to exted that date to 2018? Thanks Teresa

I use the data loggers as well for validation and I am loving them. I have a question about the validation of coolers though. Surgery rooms can get down to 14C. Are you validating your coolers for that low or just at room temp?

I have found that the nurses make sure everything is running ok then they leave and come back after 15 min..even with me observing. I feel I need to define sufficient observation. And put out some education Thanks Teresa

ditto

We have it included on our list of annual comptetency. It is up to each individual to notify the BB tech if they need to be observed doing the QC. Then they can make arrangements do it. If it is 2nd or 3rd shift then I have to come in and observe them doing QC. It is done in duplicate on 2nd and 3rd. We always do it in the morning on first shift. Sorry so late posting this

I received my full shipment yesterday

ditto

I was wondering what other people use to define, sufficient observation to detect onset of acute reactions, in regards to nursing observing the patient during the first 15 minutes of the transfusion. Thanks Teresa

This is what we have done for several years as well.

Dansket, Thank you so much your email, helped my IT work through the LIS. Can you please tell me how you are able to reflex the CONFIRM order? Is it attached to the B-type test or the anti-A,B test? Thank your Teresa

Is your ABOCONFIRM test completely separate from you original type? We created a forward type test, but it is having conflict with the original type. I don't know how to explain this very well I am not computer savey.

We do not use the cell washer frequently either, and we do flush the system weekly. If you are using is less is it less dirty? Teresa

No we are not currently doing electonic xms.

We are currently doing the ABO retype on all non O's with no current history. However, I have had a lot of trouble trying to get our LIS to allow us to perform only the forward ABO and not the back type nor the RH. We are using a log book currently. It seems everyone else is doing a full type. Are any facilities only doing the forward ABO using Meditech? Pathologists' Regional Laboratory Lewiston, Idaho Thanks Teresa

We recently had a patient that is as you described. Everything we gave him he had a fever and we worked it up for every product he received, 5 so far Teresa

I was wondering how they feel about blood products that are sent in a validated cooler to say OR or ER. Would you have to take the temp of the products if you are recording the temp of the cooler on return?

I don't understand what you mean by abbreviated compatibility testing. I thought it is the type and screen with an IS crossmatch. Do you do electronic xms?

We also received friction when asking that trauma patient not be merged until they are out of surgery. What we do if they merge is give them oneg uncrossmatched until we receive a new specimen. They have been pretty good about waiting since we did that.

Hi Mabel, I looked at the TM 17ed and it says "Clinical considerations together with laboratory data should dictate the extent to which a positive DAT is evaluated."