Question about Dialysis transfusions

[bbbirder]

After a hiatus of several years, our hospital recently started doing in-house dialysis again. Many of these patients get transfused during dialysis.

We have a policy for a 'slow' transfusion (2 ml/min, I think) for the first 15 minutes for RBCs, in case of possible reaction (except for emergency transfusion). Is that same criteria normally used in dialysis settings?

Thanks,

Linda Frederick

[janet]

Our dialysis unit used to push 2 units through in 15 minutes before I educated them about the most severe life threatening (incompatible blood/anaphylactic) reactions happening with very little transfused and in the first 15 minutes of transfusion. Now they give each unit over an hour (30 minutes if they are under a time crunch). Didn't take much convincing!

[Mabel Adams]

I was under the impression that they just dumped the units into the dialysis machine and let it circulate through the system. You are right that if anything was amiss, the whole unit is already committed. I should check with our dialysis unit for sure about how they do it, when I find time.

[Liz]

Our dialysis unit used to push 2 units through in 15 minutes before I educated them about the most severe life threatening (incompatible blood/anaphylactic) reactions happening with very little transfused and in the first 15 minutes of transfusion. Now they give each unit over an hour (30 minutes if they are under a time crunch). Didn't take much convincing!

Hi, I am writing an SOP for this. Do you have a reference that I can use?

Thank you

Liz