DFields

AABB Std 5.25.5 requires "The records shall contain a signed statement from the requesting physician indicating that the clinical situation was sufficiently urgent to require release of blood before completion of compatibility testing or infectious disease testing".  
 
Notice that this requirement is not hinged on whether the patient actually gets transfused with the emergency released blood.  The fact that blood was requested prior to completion of testing requires the physician's signed statement, regardless of whether they end up transfusing it or not.   So yes, you need to keep the emergency release form with the physician signature.  If the form is returned with no signature, you should also chase the doctor down and get that signature, even if the blood was not given.   It can be a hassle, but those are the standards.

We follow the syringe manufacturer's recommendations which are 24 hours for a syringe, even after sterile docking. We try to prepare it right before transfusion though so it is as fresh as possible.

Unresolved issue, how are others handling + sickle donors?
1. do you send notification letter, if so what do you say?
2. do you allow them to continue to donate?
3. if unit goes through filter and leukoreduces how can we be sure the wbcs are effectively removed (per literature) without counting each product?
4. do you put the donor on some sort of flag or surveillance in case they come back?
THANK YOU!

Unresolved issue, how are others handling + sickle donors?
1. do you send notification letter, if so what do you say?
2. do you allow them to continue to donate?
3. if unit goes through filter and leukoreduces how can we be sure the wbcs are effectively removed (per literature) without counting each product?
4. do you put the donor on some sort of flag or surveillance in case they come back?
THANK YOU!