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comment_3953

How often do you perform blood warmer QC?

At one site we do it quarterly, at another we do it annually. A JCAHO assessor has commented on the annual and said we need to do it at least twice per year.

All these times presume it is at least as frequently as the manufacturer recommends.

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comment_3956

I think we do it semi-annualy. All I know is clinical engineering sends me up their forms to review and sign. I didn't even do that until a year or so ago. I have a real philisophical problem being held responsible for something completely out of my control that my staff never uses simply because it it used in conjunction with blood transfusion. I never really understood why we are the universal "blood police".

comment_3957

Our Biomed dept does it semiannually. I agree with John - why are we always held responsible for everyone. My theory is that you go to the person you know will do it - that attention to detail thing! That's what we get for being so good!

comment_3960

During my last CAP inspection, this was the only thing I was cited on, and unfortunately it's not the first time, but no one besides us lowly lab people seem to care. However, they are now supposed to be checking them every January and July per the manufacturer's recommendation. They did do it in January...we'll just see if it continues on.

comment_3964

In addition to our regs, the Biomedical community has their own set of standards that they apply to all electrical devices under their oversight. I give our standards to them and leave them do their thing, sending me a summary of their work for the few blood warmers we have.

They are much better at defending their work than I am, and can usually provide the assessor with documentation that they are following all applicable regulations and recommendations.

comment_3969

Our Biomed department is responsible for the semiannual testing of the blood warmers. They are very good about performing PM's for all of our electronic equipment throughout the organization.

comment_4005

As far as I know, daily QC is not done on the blood warmers, other than the manufacturer's recomendation of preoperation checks at the time it is used.

comment_4006

The biggest problem we have is multiple types of blood warmers. We have tried to narrow it down and only have 3 types.

Also, some of the manufacturers recommend monthly checks.

Because of so many warmers, some with different requirements, and changes in our biomed department from in house to outsourced, I finally created a spread sheet listing all of the blood warmers and when their maintenance was due. I get copies from biomed every month of what they have completed and enter it on my spread sheet. I hate it, but inspectors have their radar out for this and we have been cited in the past.

Like the rest of you, I'd love to get this monkey off my back! (Sure enough, someone will purchase an new warmer and I won't be informed...)

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