Johnv

I specifically remember doing the Lui freeze -thaw on DAT + ABO incompatible cords samples in 81' at the Blood Bank in Bethesda MD so possibly the name and method predated the article.

That is very said news. He was a great leader in Transfusion Medicine. We all have fond memories of him. As a Navy SBB Fellow, we would attend the Univ of Michigan seminars and John Judd would spend time talking with us about different issues we had at our medical centers. He really gave a personal touch that was greatly appreciated. He will definitely be missed.

Does anyone charge for a 2nd blood type? We have it set as no charge but since it is an important safety step, recognized by Joint Commission and AABB, the question was should not this be a chargeable event? If you do charge for a second blood type, is there an insurance code or CPT that applies to a 2nd blood type test? thanks. John V

Isn't it 4 hours from the time the unit is spiked and becomes an open system? When it is released or issued, it is still a closed system until spiked and the maximum time a room temp closed system is 6 hours.

I concur! This was a great symposium. The SBB program I attended sent us to Ann Arbor in 97' and I arranged to go back nearly every year up to 2013 or 2014. We came away with new ideas and confidence in our job. Plus, the Weber Inn was a great place to stay. On the down side listening to John Judd talk about warm beer was not fun. Beer should be drunk ice cold.

In Cerner after UNXM units are issued, the Blood Bank tech orders the a UNXM test with the release statement attached. It goes right to the physician's inbox for their electronic signature. It's not perfect because although the physician is suppose to approve immediately after the trauma, in some case you still have to hunt them down to sign. It has the advantage of allowing the ordering physician to complete the approval signature where ever they are or where you find them, ie. on the beach in an exotic south seas island.

Has there been any new literature on this issue? We continue to see examples of reactive screens in Ortho gel, but negative when 3% screen cells are diluted to 0.8% with MTS diluent and run in gel.

We use a certified alarmed thermometer that will alarm, separate from the refrigerator alarm and the wireless, set for 2.5 to 5.5. This is checked during quarterly alarm testing.

Not sure about just one answer - We had a labeled Rh negative RBC from the ARC that retyped as Rh positive. Upon investigation, it was found the Immucor anti-D reagent we use for retyping had anti-Crawford while the ARC automated process for D typing used an Ortho reagent which was from a different clone. Not very unlikely but certainly more than one answer.

The Blood Bank has ultralow freezers for the storage of tissue and frozen plasma. At our hospital we have been approached as a possible overflow storage location for the Covid-19 vaccine. Is there a FDA regulatory rule against the storage of human vaccines with blood products? I believe in the past we have stored RhIG (Rhogam) with the RBC inventory, although due to the temperature requirement (2-8C vs 1-6C for blood) we currently have a separate reagent storage refrigerator. The storage of Rhogam with blood has never resulted in a citation from CAP, Joint Commission or our State Department of Health. thanks.

I have to agree with you too. The BBGuy was one of my professors during graduate studies and SBB training - way back when...

Thanks Dr. Blumberg. I have passed your comments to the physician

In regards to Neil Blumberg's comment about using ABO identical plasma: can I assume that ABO compatible plasma acceptable? ie. Transfusing A plasma to an O patient? thanks. John V

We decontaminate our coolers daily because they go into the OR. If a cooler came back from an isolation room, we would decontaminate (wipe down with a bleach wipe). Units returned are also rare because it is difficult to have the RN staff to return blood in a timely manner to ensure it is still 10C or less. Consequently this is not an issue. It would be interesting to hear the lessons learned on this subject from the Medical Centers in NYC.

A number of years ago the President made a visit to our area. His advance team visited our hospital and the blood bank. They asked if we were AABB accredited which we regrettably answered no. We are accredited by the Joint Commission Consequently our blood bank was told we could not provide blood product in the event of a medical emergency!