Antigen Labeling for ISBT 128

[kdal]

We currently have the MISYS computer system in our BloodBank, ver. 5.3 soon to upgrade to 6.3. We are a hospital based transfusion service only. How is labeling for antigen typed units being handled?? We transfuse alot of antigen negative units and do most of the phenotyping inhouse. Are there ISBT codes for the antigens or do you generate a label to be applied to the special Testing area of the ISBT label?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks:redface:!!!!

[heathervaught]

If you are registered ISBT member, then you can logon to iccbba.org and find the Technical Specification, Page 24 and 54-55.

Basically, the antigen barcode is 18 characters, and each character identifies whether certain antigens are present, absent, or not tested. For example, Position 2 encodes for K and k. If neither are tested, then the value at position 2 is a 0. If K is not tested and k is negative, then it is a 1. If K is not tested and k is positive, then it is a 2.....if K is pos and k is pos, then it is an 8...

Position 1 includes the Common Rh antigens combined, so CE cells are a 0, CcE are a 1, cEe are a 2...etc...

Position 16 includes CMV.

The Technical Specification is the best place to find the entire list of rules.

[bbbirder]

My understanding is that the use of antigen typing with ISBT is optional.

As a transfusion service, I did not see any benefit of printing out an ISBT version of antigen typing labels and I was not planning to print out labels with this information. (If you don't do a new full face label, how will you make sure you get the correct label on the right unit any more than you would with a 'generic' label, and I don't like the idea of doing a full face label unless I must (pooled products))

But I am open to changing my opinion, if it looks like a good idea!

Linda Frederick

[heathervaught]

Linda,

Right now, our computer systems don't support using this function, but once it does, we will use it. As a blood center, it will be beneficial for us because our process will be:

(1) Reference lab confirms antigens and enters test results into the computer.

(2) Unit is labeled (including the phenotype) and the barcode is printed by the computer with the correct values

(3) Computer labeling requires that the barcoded information all be scanned and match the expected values

It eliminates using tie-tags and having techs manually read back and 2nd check when a unit has confirmed antigen negative status (we would only use it for confirmed negatives -- we would not confirm positive antigens). However, units that we ship as historically negative and not confirmed on this unit would still have to use the tie-tag and read-back system. With the price of antisera going up, many of our hospitals are chosing to have us confirm rather than buy a bottle of antisera that they might expire some.