I am working on a BUR Report and wonder if any of you have some "current" benchmark numbers right off the top of your head? Mine are from 2002. I need them for:

C:T Ratio

Wasted Blood Products

Transfusion Reactions

THANKS!

Brenda Hutson, CLS(ASCP)SBB

Our CT ratio is 1.3-1.4 (same for past 5 years or so.)

Wastage is 1% (That is cost of wasted product vs total cost of products) (that has also been the same for 5 years M/L)

For reactions, are you looking for a % of total products given? or something else?

Linda Frederick

Please be careful with these benchmarks - so much depends on your computer system (electronic XM), are your docs aggresive or conservative, and your blood supplier.

For instance:

Our CT ratio is currently at 1.9 - but we've been aggresively educating our physicians about the cons of transfusion. So they may order 2 units to be available, but they think hard before transfusing it. When we do electronic XM in the spring, this number will fall. But we look at the climbing CT as a success in our education.

For wastage, we're currently at nearly 10%. Sounds awful, doesn't it? But no - Directly due to using the National Blood Exchange rather that the local bloodd supplier. Strictly a financial decision, even with 10% waste we still save nearly $2M annually. (local supplier VERY expensive). I won't even tell you the platelet waste!

Just for comparison, we transfuse 15,000 red cells annually, total of all components 35,000.

Please be careful with these benchmarks - so much depends on your computer system (electronic XM), are your docs aggresive or conservative, and your blood supplier.

For instance:

Our CT ratio is currently at 1.9 - but we've been aggresively educating our physicians about the cons of transfusion. So they may order 2 units to be available, but they think hard before transfusing it. When we do electronic XM in the spring, this number will fall. But we look at the climbing CT as a success in our education.

For wastage, we're currently at nearly 10%. Sounds awful, doesn't it? But no - Directly due to using the National Blood Exchange rather that the local bloodd supplier. Strictly a financial decision, even with 10% waste we still save nearly $2M annually. (local supplier VERY expensive). I won't even tell you the platelet waste!

Just for comparison, we transfuse 15,000 red cells annually, total of all components 35,000.

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is the National Blood Exchange that you use?

Thanks,

Brenda Hutson, CLS(ASCP)SBB

The NBE is a national clearinghouse for blood components. If you are a licensed collection moiety you may post any excess products on the NBE. Places looking for components can go there and get product shipped from whomever has it available.

My CT is approx 1.3, 1 trxn/yr; <5 wasted rbcs, pl apheresis, thawed plasma.

My hospital is only 40 beds.

The National Blood Exchange is run by the AABB, and matches US blood suppliers with excess with hospitals/other suppliers that need it. Blood moves all around the country. Your institution needs to be an AABB member to use it. More reasonable costs than our local suppliers. The downside is you need to order today for tomorrow - so we carry a slightly bigger inventory than most hospitals our size (600 beds), and there are no returns, plus usually you need to purchase a normal ABO distribution. So we outdate many A's, because we use many O's as a major urban trauma center. Still saves us big bucks annually, though.