We occasionally use expired panel RBCs (3 months or less) in the final ruleouts/confirmations of new or known antibodies. Has anyone else had any problems with this procedure for AABB, CAP, FDA or JCAHO inspectors? In an SOP detailing this specific use - should the expired RBCs be restricted soley to ruleouts/confirmations - does mentioning them at all cause problems? Does anyone use rare antigen typing reagents to prove viability of the expired RBC before it is used to rule out an antigen? Any help would be deeply appreciated.

We use expired panels up to 3 months for rule outs. We just had our AABB assessment and it was not a problem. We do not antigen type the cell with special antisera. If you use homozygous cells the antigenicity should be fine, I would think especially with your fresher panels.

Retention of expired panels is endemic in blood banks. At one time, I noticed that donors started recycling after about 5 panels, so keeping more than the last 4 is probably not worthwhile, unless you use them for students.

I look for an SOP for using expired reagents and check that they're conspiculously-marked and segregated from the in-date reagents. In the SOP, I expect to see the conditions that an expired panels may be used and any QC that must be performed.

I think expired cells should not be used as the sole test for the presence of an antibody. Securing additional rule-outs in the presence of a higher freq antibody or of multiple antibodies are the most likely use.

We keep our expired panels for a couple months but they are completely seperated from my in date panels. I keep my current panels in my Reagent Refrigerator and my expired panels in our large lab walk-in refrigerator with big signs on them stating they are for student or rule-out use only. We do have a Blood Bank policy stating that this is how they are to be labeled and all that good stuff. It has satisified our inspection needs thus far.

We also use the expired cells for rule-outs. It is specified in the SOP for that purpose. This has not caused any problems with AABB or CAP assessments. We do not do any antigen typings on the expired cells.