As Blood Bank supervisor of a small hospital, I am undertaking the move of the Transfusion Committee duties from the Physician's General Staff Meeting to a smaller committee. One of our first priorities will be to update our transfusion criteria. Does anyone have suggestions of sources for established transfusion criteria or have criteria that seem to work with the physicians that you are willing to share?

It seems everyone has published transfusion criteria, and while similar, they're not all the same.

You really have to look at your patient population and service level. I came from a large AHC to a small rural facility, and the criteria were similar, but not being followed by the medical staff. We found that the criteria were assigned incorrectly for the patient population and are in the process of being modified.

We use a form that we developed. It's purpose is more of a "self audit" for the physician as they are completing the form. The physcian justifys the transfusion right on the form. Including H&H - consider: blood loss, anemia due to cardiac symptoms, intraop blood loss, drop in BP. For platelets consider not only count, but coagulopathy, invasive procedure, etc. The forms are then reviewed by me at the end of the month and any questionable transfusion get a chart review by the medical director. Good luck.

ARC has recently published a guideline for transfusion. There's a link to it on CBBSweb.org

ARC has recently published a guideline for transfusion. There's a link to it on CBBSweb.org

Can you clarify for us where to find that link?

Thanks!

You can access it directly from the American Red Cross at:

http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_498_,00.html

How have you been able to gain compliance with doctors to fill out the form? thanks, Kathleen:cries:

We use a form that we developed. It's purpose is more of a "self audit" for the physician as they are completing the form. The physcian justifys the transfusion right on the form. Including H&H - consider: blood loss, anemia due to cardiac symptoms, intraop blood loss, drop in BP. For platelets consider not only count, but coagulopathy, invasive procedure, etc. The forms are then reviewed by me at the end of the month and any questionable transfusion get a chart review by the medical director. Good luck.