Typenex ID bands

[RR1]

I am looking at introducing Typenex wristbands into our ER (currently the blood bank produces in-house wristbands for them ). Please could you tell me of any problems you may have had with these- or know of any alternative method of generating a unique identifier for the Trauma / Major incident patients. Our hospital IT department cannot at presentperform this function for us.

Many thanks

Rashmi

rashmirook@hotmail.com

[David Saikin]

The only problem I have seen with these is if/when the tech removes the group of labels from the tube for centrifugation . . . it is imperative to reattach the correct number to the patient specimen. Better to not remove the number labels from the tube. I am referring to the group of labels which will be placed on the blood bags (or whatever you will attach them to).

[tbostock]

We use the Typenex bands for all of our trauma patients, or any patient who comes in unidentified. When we started to get multiple trauma patients at once, we realized we had to get rid of calling them all John Doe. It works very well, gets them identified quickly, our patient registration dept registers them with the name of their band number (ABC1234,trauma) so labs and radiology tests can be done immediately. Our only problem is that sometimes they are cut off in the OR during surgery. If they don't reattach as per our policy, we have to recollect their sample and "start over". But this doesn't happen very often.

[RR1]

Thanks David and Terri,

Please could you tell me the format of the numbering system ( ABC11234567 etc ) used on the bands, and also when re-ordering more bands from the company do you have to tell them what numbers you require next- or are all numbers printed by them totally unique?

Many thanks

Rashmi

[tbostock]

The bands that we get, Typenex, are alphanumeric: 3 letters and 4 numbers, for example ABC1234. They come in a case where all of the bands would start with ABC. The next month, the bands start with TXP, then another combination the next month. We don't specify, they just send us bands with different letters each month. So we try to order them one box at a time so we don't get too many of the same. We try to pull bands from different boxes when sending to the ER so we get numbers as random as possible; sometimes we have multiple trauma patients, and it's a lot easier if they all have entirely different band numbers.

[adiescast]

Hi Terri,

Would you share your re-banding policy, please?

Thanks!

[Eoin]

We use Typenex bands for ALL transfusion ptients. They now are also available with the number barcoded. We are at present installing Neoteric BloodTrack and we are looking at a Zebra Armband Printer ( HC100) - to hook to the HIS. The armbands are available now with a red border to identify that it is to be used for BloodTransfusion, so we can put all patient identifiers on them so that the patient number can be used throughout the blood chain. This can hook to any printer, so could be used in ER with an assigned patient number- even for the unconsious patient.

We have found the Typenex system to be robust and would be happy to continue, but I suspect this will become somewhat redundant with the BloodTrack introduction.

Best of Luck

Eoin

[Penny Thiel]

We have used Typenex for years. The only problem for us was the metal closure seemed to get more and more difficult to press closed and the phlebs were complaining about it. We have found a new band with the same protocol and very easy closures. They are called Securline and are sold by Precision Dynamics.

[RR1]

Thanks Penny- just had a look at the site, and these look really good too!!

[tbostock]

Hi Terri,

Would you share your re-banding policy, please?

Thanks!

If the band has to be cut off for surgery, IV, etc, they have to immediately secure it on the other arm, and document in the chart their name and the details of where it was moved to.

[adiescast]

How do they secure it on the other arm?

Thanks!