Donor testing prior to labeling

[barrows020]

We are a blood Transfusion center that collects our own blood. We send out our donor samples for T&S and NAT tresting. When testing comes back we retype each unit from a segment of the unit.( front type only). There is a debate here as to whether we should be doing a full front and back type from each unit prior to labeling the unit. We do keep a clot specimen from every donor. Thank, James

[David Saikin]

What does your procedure say? Is it approved by the FDA? If the FEDs have given you registration or a license and you are operating according to your procedure you don't need to do anything else.

[Eman]

We also collect our own blood and send out the ID testing. We do the type and screen in house, and type is forward and reverse. After test results are complete we confirm the units by front type only and then move them to inventory. This is my first experience on the "receiving" end of products, so forward only confirmation was a bit new to me. We've never been challenged on the process. A colleague with more transfusion service experience pointed out that you're using an RBC segment to do that confirmation, so there's (essentially) no plasma in there to do the back type with.

[SMW]

We are a blood Transfusion center that collects our own blood. We send out our donor samples for T&S and NAT tresting. When testing comes back we retype each unit from a segment of the unit.( front type only). There is a debate here as to whether we should be doing a full front and back type from each unit prior to labeling the unit. We do keep a clot specimen from every donor. Thank, James

It depends on the purpose and how you intend to use the results. If used to label the product, a forward and reverse type is required (see AABB 5.8.1). If it's for the the serologic confirmation of the donor ABO/Rh type which is to confirm the Labeling, a forward type using an integrally attached segment is acceptable but the sample needs to be obtained and tested after the product has undergone final labeling (see AABB 5.12) so these ABO test results are compared to and used to confirm the ABO type present on the product label.

[Liz]

The segments were filled at collection so they should be whole blood.

Reverse is not needed if done after ABO labeling, it is for confirmation that you perform the forward.

[barrows020]

Thank you for the comment

[SMW]

The segments were filled at collection so they should be whole blood.

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Segments are not always created at collection and even if created at collection may not be the same segments on the final distributed product. Depending on the method of preparation of the final distributable product, e.g., many Leukoreduced Additive Red Blood Cells units, the integrally attached segments present on the final product are created after the plasma is removed, the addition of additive solution and leukoreduction, so the segments will contain leukoreduced red blood cells and additive solution (any residual plasma significantly diluted).