On my website for free Codabar blood labels at http://www.geocities.com/dmpollock I am planning to start building ISBT labels. It will all take some time. I would like to know whether there is any interest and what would be most desirable.

I have barcodes for testing I can load soon (expiration dates, test DINs, product codes). These are designed for testing and validation, not for labeling.

I am planning to make ABO/Rh quadrant labels. Then components. These will be standard size and suitable for labeling units.

Does anyone need any of this? If so, what would you like to see first? Does anyone need a reduced size label that is smaller than ISBT standards, but will still scan?

I have created a new website for free ISBT labels:

http://freeisbt.googlepages.com/

Validation labels are currently available.

Thanks for your website. We have used the codabar and are looking forward to more of the ISBT. It has been particularly helpful to us for new employee training and for validating changes.

Belva in Lincoln, NE.

Computype will provide ISBT 128 samples to blood banks and transfusion services who make a request. There will be no charge for samples in reasonable quantities. We will use our LabelClinic software to generate 2x2, 4x2, or 4x4 labels based on the most current ICCBBA product code database and US Industry Consensus Standard.

You may request the labels via our website, www.computype.com/bloodbanks

Bruce Wray

DM thank you for providing this website. It is a great way to get just a handful of labels (ABO/RH and product codes) to have on hand for those occasional needs for splitting units.

Those web sites are awesome! You did a great job. Thanks!

Please be aware that Digi-Trax provides a service called "Speed Print" where we can make all ISBT128 labels in any amount (just $50.00 min. per order and you can mix and match;)) See www.digi-trax.com and click on media and select "Speed Print":)

Dave's website should also be good for downtime product code labels--especially if you only need a few of several codes and have no other reason to buy free-standing software.

On my website for free Codabar blood labels at http://www.geocities.com/dmpollock I am planning to start building ISBT labels. It will all take some time. I would like to know whether there is any interest and what would be most desirable.

I have barcodes for testing I can load soon (expiration dates, test DINs, product codes). These are designed for testing and validation, not for labeling.

I am planning to make ABO/Rh quadrant labels. Then components. These will be standard size and suitable for labeling units.

Does anyone need any of this? If so, what would you like to see first? Does anyone need a reduced size label that is smaller than ISBT standards, but will still scan?

The talk Forum is not supposed to be for commercial purposes and if you offer ISBT128 labels and therefore are using the Standard you need to be paying a $5000.00 fee anually to the ICCBBA like any other entity that is utilizing the ISBT128 Standard...I think! You can check that out with the ICCBBA office.

Will you be adding free ISBT128 labels for the following product codes:

E0158 VA0

EO158 VB0

E0158 VC0

E0158 VD0

E0158 VE0

These would be for baby aliquots. Also would it be possible to get custom labels with my facility # and consecutive pool # for our cryo pools.

thanks,

Brush

Note to Brush: There is an email address on the website for site-specific questions. We can't use the BloodBankTalk forum for that, with the no-advertising policy.

On a more general topic, it sounds like you might be using Sunquest or some other system which generates pool numbers. Until Sunquest becomes more ISBT compliant, my inclination would be to label depending on how the source units are labeled. If they were codabar, I would label the pool with a codabar style label. If they were ISBT-128, I would label the pool with an ISBT-128 label. While it wouldn't be ISBT-128 compliant, I would use the pool number generated by the computer. A pool number like "P1234" can't be printed with a codabar font since codabar does not support characters like "P." Although some people might not consider this the "right" answer, I would be inclined to print the system-generated pool number using an eye-readable number as well as a code 128 barcode of that number. If your scanners can read ISBT-128 labels, they will be able to read code 128, since that is the barcode font that ISBT-128 uses.

Rather than deal with all these issues, a lot of facilities simply quit making pools or aliquots. If they can't get their blood provider to pool or aliquot, they issue the product as-is. For example, instead of pooling 6 random platelets, they will issue 6 individually tagged products.

I am curious how people are labeling their blood with the expiration dates if they are using preprinted ISBT labels. Are they hand writing the date on the ISBT label where the expiration date barcode would be, or using some other method?

We are handwriting the expiration date on our pooled products. We are also crossing out and handwriting in the new expiration dates on our thawed plasma products. I believe this is acceptable.

Many companies can provide all ISBT128 compliant labels in small amounts. If you go to the www.iccbba.com and look at the "registered" vendors you can find the ICCBBA certified companies.

Richard Kriozere

Digi-Trax Corp. (www.digi-trax.com)