Doing a "freebie" type and screen on recently transfused pre-surgery patients

[Mabel Adams]

If you are a hospital that allows pre-op patients to be drawn more than 2-3 days before surgery, I am wondering how many of you still collect a sample on pre-surgery patients that have had a transfusion in the past 3 months and run at least an antibody screen on it, then repeat the real testing on a sample collected right before the surgery date. We have done this here forever because it gives us advance knowledge of a significant antibody problem. Many of the re-draw samples come in the morning of surgery, so if we didn't do the unofficial test prior, we could have a patient already in surgery by the time we know there is a nasty antibody.

[Mabel Adams]

Obviously I am too verbose. The rest of the poll question should read "that have been recently transfused."

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

Are those of us from "across the pond" allowed to vote, because all of our tests are freebies?

[adiescast]

Are those of us from "across the pond" allowed to vote, because all of our tests are freebies?

I guess your answer would always be "Yes" then! I think that would skew the poll a bit...

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

Hmmmmmmmm, quite possibly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John C. Staley]

If patient's were either transfused or pregnant within the previous 3 months we would not draw any pretransfusion testing more than 3 days prior to surgery. Otherwise we would do it as much as 3 week prior.

:juggle:

[David Saikin]

John

how many times were you "surprised" by something clinically significant?

If patient's were either transfused or pregnant within the previous 3 months we would not draw any pretransfusion testing more than 3 days prior to surgery. Otherwise we would do it as much as 3 week prior.

:juggle:

[TIrwin]

When you say the first antibody screen is "unofficial", does that mean you don't report the result to the patient's chart? I would definitely want that result to be documented on the chart so nobody can claim they didn't know there would be a problem.

[John C. Staley]

John

how many times were you "surprised" by something clinically significant?

David, we were rarely surprised because we could get these patients to come in 1 or 2 days prior to the surgery. The few times we were surprised it was when we saw the patient the first time the day of surgery and there had been no attempt by the patient to come in any earlier. Also, I don't remember any of them having been transfused or pregnant in the previous 3 months. Their antibodies had been with them for quite awhile.

:shakefist

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

I remember the feeling John from when I used to work in a hospital lab!