Does anyone else realize that most of the product codes for ISBT don't have the collection date on the label? I can't believe I totally over-looked this fact. How are donor centers or blood banks checking to make sure the expiration date is correct on the label?

thanks

stephanie

We are not ISBT yet, so I would like to hear a response to Stephanie's question.

All of the product codes for ISBT do have the collection/production date on the label.

Blood centers have a highly-automated labeling process. The chances that an expiration date is incorrect is very small. I haven't had my techs check the collection date in ages, only the expiration date.

Our blood center writes the collection date and time on the bag label at collection, which is verified just prior to overlaying the ISBT label during labeling.

Our Blood Center has not included a collection date on the final label in years. We don't see it on Codabar or ISBT labels.

(I really don't miss it. The only time might be selecting a 'fresh' unit for transfusion to a neonate, but going to the 'back of the shelf' will be the freshest we have.)

Linda Frederick

Yes, we also put the collection on the bag during collection and then cover over it.

It is the same with us. The date is written on the base label of the parimary bag, then covered by the final product label which does not show the collection date. Only the expiration date. In the process of validating our bloodbanking data system, the expiration date is verified. Remember that expiration dates may also be modertated by certain processes like irradiation (in the case of RBCs).