Dansket

I would change the process.  I don't see any reason to leave any refrigerator door opened for an extended period of time (over one minute)  to the extent it causes an over-temp in the storage unit.  Load the shipment into the refrigerator in batches so that it can recover between each batch.

Hello,
I think you posted the same question on the AABB Hub, in which I cannot figure out on how to reply!
I have used both Haemonetics and Cerner products.  I love Haemonetics, as it is very configurable to your needs.  
I would assess your patient population (oncology, pediatrics, SCD, general) and what your current problems are.  How could the new system help?  What would it miss?  My Cerner team tells me that there is no way to configure patients to receive type O RBC products only (neonate, HPC transplants).  Haemonetics has no problem in setting up such a rule.
Once you determine your patient population, ask the vendor for a similar user site and do a site visit.  Talk to the bench techs and ask them, where does the system fail?  
The vendor will tell you that it's all good, but the user's will tell you where the holes are in the system.  
Ultimately, it may be your purchasing team who makes the final decision.  Once it's made, it's your job to fully understand the system and BUID IT RIGHT.  Once it's built, it is hard to unbuild...
Hope this helps somewhat, I found systems administration very interesting, and even taught myself how to query the database and write Crystal reports.  Hopefully you'll have the resources to make the best decision and going forward and design the system for your unique patient population and their needs.
Ann in CA

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf

The user (not the computer) in my facility selects a RBC component from the refrigerator for crossmatching.  
Are you restricting the definition of a crossmatch to include only serological methods?  In 1987 the AABB allowed users to limit the serological crossmatch to the immediate-spin test if the antiglobulin antibody screen test was negative.  Then, in 199?, the AABB allowed users to replace the immediate-spin crossmatch with a "computer crossmatch" to detect ABO incompatibility.  Before this, the word "crossmatch" was prefaced with "major" and "minor".  So the definition of "crossmatch" has undergone many changes over the years.
The FDA allows Transfusion Services to use a qualified computer system to detect ABO incompatibility between donor and recipient in lieu of serological methods to detect ABO incompatibility, i.e., as stated by tricore, "Computerized Analysis of the Compatibility between the Donor’s Cell Type and the Recipient’s Serum or Plasma Type".
 

If you wind up sticking with paper - it might be faster if you use tagger guns to attach your paperwork..  These are the same type of tagging guns that are used for clothing labeling.  You can get both the guns and the tagger tails from a place like Staples (Monarch SG Tag Attacher).
Hold up and punch through the paper 1st and then go through one of the little holes on the unit (or very carefully, through some of the outside edge on the unit above the interior area) and then press the trigger.  Works fine for us and stays with the unit.
One word of caution; the needles - when new - are extremely sharp.  I always take a new needle outside and dull it down by swiping it back and forth over some concrete walkway first, prevents finger sticks.  Sounds gruesome, I know, but we have no troubles with the needles (after dulling) and have never harmed a unit.

I have this issue also. The guide doesn't give a weak reaction as a result. I always go by if it's a pellet with a few "specks" it's negative....why search for zebras.

We do.  Based on a poster at AABB Annual Meeting 2-4 years ago, can't remember exactly.

No adverse reactions to blood transfusion due to ABO mismatch or unexpected antibody undetected since implementation of electronic crossmatch in 1997.

No adverse reactions to blood transfusion due to ABO mismatch or unexpected antibody undetected since implementation of electronic crossmatch in 1997.

This flow chart is not dedicated to electronic crossmatch but does address it in section B.
ecxm flowchart.docx

This flow chart is not dedicated to electronic crossmatch but does address it in section B.
ecxm flowchart.docx

See attached showing page 5 of product dictionary in Meditech 5.67.  See sections titled Subsitute Prod  and Subst Prod Grp.  You can use these so that RN/MD can order general product but you can substitute any product based on you entries in these fields.
substitute products.docx

The use of the term "Optical aids", in this sense, is almost certainly referring you to an agglutination viewer.
The only time we use a scope is to verify the presence of that pesky rouleaux.
Scott

Many years ago, Peter Issitt stated that microscopes should be banned from Transfusion Laboratories (I think it was in the orange edition of his book) except for such tests where cells are being counted (such as the Kleihauer).
Many years after his wise words, I still follow his advice, and have not (yet) been involved in a missed weak antibody that has caused a clinically significant haemolytic transfusion reaction (43 years in the job), and many of those tests were performed in opaque tiles and then, as we "modernised", tube techniques.

This flow chart is not dedicated to electronic crossmatch but does address it in section B.
ecxm flowchart.docx

This flow chart is not dedicated to electronic crossmatch but does address it in section B.
ecxm flowchart.docx

This flow chart is not dedicated to electronic crossmatch but does address it in section B.
ecxm flowchart.docx

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf

We don't, if we know they received Rhogam.  

Our computer system has RhIg built as "not clinically significant" and will let us electronic crossmatch.

see attached
Blood returned unused.pdf