DPruden

If the information comes from the patient verbally, I usually try to verify the information from the facility that identified the antibody if the patient knows where it was identified.

There is a RAP session at the AABB this October on disasters if anyone is interested. Man-Made and Natural Disasters: Real-Life Experiences from the Blood Banking Industry

Do you like SoftBank? We may be in the same situation soon, Epic with Beaker and then we will have to choose a BB system. thanks!

I am trying to find an AABB standard/FDA regulation to quote on this very subject and I can't find it. I know there used to be a prohibition against issuing non-group O RBCs using a historical ABO type, but I can't find it!

True, but to quote one of my medical directors, "you have to stop the bleeding!"

Hemorrhage implies gushing (to me) and if we had a patient gushing, I am quite sure our uncrossmatched emergency issued O negative units would be transfused before we even got as far as discovering the incompatibility. There wouldn't be time to track down a sibling. Hopefully, there would be an OR close at hand and some kind of cell saver device could be used to help the patient keep as much of their own blood as possible.

I have come on to the site multiple times to break the lights and make noise!!! Thanks Cliff!

I would think about what you want the system to do for you and then see which software matches most of your requirements, if you want training documents in the system and if they will link to the procedures, think about how the documents will be loaded into the system, etc. I have used some really good programs and some really bad ones, and my advice would be to put the time in up front beforehand, it will save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

The FDA defines rare antigen typing reagents as Jka, Jkb, Fyb, S, s in their compliance guides. There is a paragraph about rare antigen typing reagents in Attachment C. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ComplianceActivities/Enforcement/CompliancePrograms/UCM239615.pdf

I love that idea! Particularly for patients with known antibodies when I don't want to waste an entire panel. However, I am not sure what would be required for a validation of that process.

I will be there with my friend Laura Rowe.

Just wanted to verify that it is Saturday, I had thought that it was on Friday night.

I got swamped on Friday and didn't get a chance to respond. If dinner is still a possibility, then I am game. I would also like to bring a lurker friend, Laura!

I was going to suggest this as well, we had a patient with a persistent IgM anti-E that never seroconverted to IgG.

The FDA posts fatality statistics, but they are more related to transfusion related fatalities. You might see if Joint Commission or the National Center for Health Statistics (through the CDC) has any posted information.

What a fun month--amazing mix of antibodies!! I too am a confirmed nerd (always have been), and happy to own it! And to quote Bill Gates-"Be nice to the nerds-Chances are you will end up working for one."

I had the exact same thought, >5 in a year?!? Holy haberdashery, Batman!

And how fantastic is the Gymnastics medal! I was cheering wildly in my living room.

We have a single page sign off, but it must list each SOP, it can't be just a single signature for the whole book. And we rotate CAP surveys and make up specimens for anyone else that still needs a blind sample.Both CAP and AABB were good with our process during our May inspection this year.

Turned down?!? Some people's kids. I am hoping to attend in Boston, but I am still in negotiations.

We do the same as jayinsat. Someone explained to me that the solid phase screens and panels use RBC stroma, and not intact RBCs. Our assumption is that the "anti-Echo antibodies" are related to something that is within the cell membrane that is not exposed in other methods, hence no reaction in LISS or Gel.

We have HCLL (Mediware) and we only report Rh negative or Rh positive, but we do not perform weak D testing routinely anymore, except on cord bloods.

The other reason they may want to see your Massive Transfusion policy is the distribution of O negative RBCs. Some institutions don't have an allowance to switch male MTP patients to O positive RBCs, which is pretty standard practice in trauma facilities.We also have a sticker that we date/initial before shipping or transferring units and attach to our shipping documents that states: Units have been stored at FDA/AABB approved temperatures. Units have been visually inspected & are acceptable. That was part of the requirement to be able to return or transfer products.

We had been doing all of our ABO/Rh testing in tubes, and then antibody screens and panels in gel. When we brought in the Echo a few years ago, we maintained doing all of our retypes in tubes, and kept gel as our antibody identification method. The drop in ordering volume made the price of the gel cards go up a lot, so that may be something to consider in your calculations.

CAP has an elution survey that you can purchase, but it is fairly pricy. We discovered that it was actually cheaper to send the few elutions to our reference lab than to continue testing them ourselves. And we did not do them often enough to truly maintain a comfort level among the techs doing the testing, so it worked out well.