[Pretransfusion consent]

We here in a Sydney Australia metro hospital have devised a 'Long-term Consent to Transfusion' that is used exclusively for the outpatient-type chronically transfused and for a defined medical condition. The special consent is signed and witnessed and scanned into the patient's electronic medical record and may be viewed at each presentation for transfusion of blood products. The consent is ongoing for as long as the patient turns up for (routine) transfusion. In the event that they require a transfusion for a different reason, then a new consent is to be obtained.

For inpatients, the consent is valid for one single admission period.

[what type bag do you issue blood products in?]

Our area health service has up until now used clear plastic bags so that the product was made immediately visible. That may all be about to change...we had an incident recently at one of our major hospitals during which a visitor to the hospital saw a unit of blood being carried in a clear plastic bag and proceded to faint, resulting in a head injury. Our blood products management committee has been asked to review our blood transportation.

[Wise Ole Sayings]

My favourite saying comes from Garfield the cat

"Never eat anything that is on fire".

[Will I be disqualified?]

From my previous work in the area of Andrology I can tell you for certain that there is no viral load from Hepatitis C in semen. Therefore even if your father HAD hepatitis C when you were conceived, it would not have been transmissable to you.

[FFP breakage rate]

Thanks for all those replies! We can look into the temperature as a first option.

Shasby

[FFP breakage rate]

Hi,

I am hoping that you can help me. I need to find out the going rate of FFP unit breakage. We think ours is on the high side at around 6-8%. What would you consider an acceptible rate?

Thanks for any information.