I received a notice this week that CAP is now offering proficiency testing for bacterial detection in platelets. Our facility relies on our blood supplier for culturing, and we only check the pH of the unit prior to issue. It has never crossed my mind that we are not participating in any type of PT for this. For that matter, we have not even been performing QC.

My lab manager would now like to look at PT for the platelet pHs, but does not want to spend the money for a full survey if we will just be using one component.

Is anyone using the urine or body fluid survey as PT for the platelet pHs? Is anyone using a different method of PT for this?

What QC methods are being used? Is a urine QC sample considered acceptable?

I appreciate any input.

Karen

We gram stain our random PLTs (or rather Microbiology department does). Since Micro already does a survey that includes gram stain, I see no reason to get a new survey.

Same would apply to your pH testing, if you already have a survey for that same method, I would not get a different one just for PLTs.

As far as I know, you need PT testing for 'regulated analytes' and if you test in one survey, you don't need to get a different survey, just because your specimen is different.

Linda Frederick

Our chemistry dept does a body fluid PT that includes pH. Can I borrow this survey for our pH testing and document for PT purposes? Or is that unnecessary?

The CAP BCS survey does not include a pH assay -- it is strictly for culture-based methods.