LaurelMae

I've used the the CA1500 for about 13 years at multiple different facilities and although it is a work horse with very few issues, the technology is very antiquated. We've been trying to upgrade for a number of years to the 2500 but no luck securing the money yet. If you're looking, don't even look at the CA1500 definitely look at the 2500 or something else. 

I have worked with the CA1500 for 12 years now.  It will handle your work load just fine but it is an archaic instrument and the software is horrible.  Just a couple of examples: You have to manually register all your reagents (it comes with a barcode reader but it doesn't work for the reagents).  Also you can only have one lot calibrated at a time so you cannot get the new lot ready when it is convenient (D. Dimer and Xa).   I have always wanted an IL Top, I think they are the best in Coag right now but if you are limited to Siemens I would go with the new CA2500.

We use the plasma blank method.  It's not too difficult.  I found that a lot of the new techs we were getting were math challenged.  I created an Excel worksheet where you simply plug in the data and the corrected HGB and the RBC indices are calculated for you.  Yes, I verify the Excel calculations vs. manual calculations on a regular basis as required.  The spreadsheet is password protected so the formulas can't be altered.  You can print it too, if you want.

I would be interested in this also as I have never heard of a calculation to correct a Hgb in this way.  Is it based on Trig levels?
Certainly by using:  corrected hemoglobin=(mcv x rbc)/(2.98x10)  you are only basing the Hgb on what it would be for a NORMAL relationship to the MCV and RBC.  It seem like this would only be a valid Hgb estimate for persons with normal RBC, MCV and Hgb.  (Simular to how blood gas machines calculate the Hct from a Hgb.)
The normal way to correct for lipid interference is to do a saline replacement.  That's not too complicated and I believe it gives fairly accurate results, including the other indices.
Scott

Forever ago we used a calculation.  You would spin the sample down, then run the lipemic plasma for hgb measurement.
Then calculate:  True hgb = original hgb - ((plasma hgb x (1 - hct as a decimal))
I have no idea where this calculation came from, but it did always the plasma replacement method.  In my opinion, doing any kind of calculation is just silly when you can just replace the problematic plasma with diluent/saline. Using plasma replacement, you don't have to recalculate any of the indices, either.
Nicole
 

Laurel,
The presenter for the webinar you cited wrote our hemoglobin correction procedure. There are successive steps in the procedure where a plasma blank and a plasma replacement are done if the prior step do not return an MCHC < 37.0. I'm not sure why she designed it that way but I suspect that anytime you manipulate the specimen there is a possibility that error can be introduced into the end result. Which may be why she favors the calculation because no sample dilution or other error can occur there.
Dan

We dealt with the Lippincott premade policies by having the BB Medical Director state succinctly what he wanted in the transfusion protocol. THERE CAN BE NO ARGUING when that happens. The Medical Director's final decisions in the Blood Bank (and the Lab in general) are sacrosanct/CLIA. I had a new MD and had to convince him that his word was the law. He finally saw the light. Granted, there has to be good reasoning behind decisions but there can be no ifs, ands, or buts when the Director sets policy.
Just hope you don't have a "good ol' boy" as a director - I've been there. Been chewed out for not trusting the hematologist's lab results for plt cts. Fortunately we always drew our own before transfusing. Hematologist got 25k, we got 225k, even on repeat. Turns out the Hemo's lab set up their coulter and ran it - no calibration, no controls . . . gotta love it.

The Circular states "It is undesirable for components that contain red cells to remain at room temperature longer than 4 hours".  If you are using a validated cooler to transport the blood then it would be from the time it is spiked.  www.aabb.org/tm/coi/documents/coi113.pdf