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Ensuring proper blood storage and patient identification in ambulatory surgery centers lacking onsite laboratory support

A blood banker from Colorado would like to know if anyone has experience with providing blood products to a surgery center where there is no laboratory support to monitor storage conditions of the blood and to assure that the correct patient is identified prior to transfusion. Suggestions are welcome!

The following comments were received.

ADDENDA Dec. 11, 2002

1. A Quality Assurance Officer in Texas reports that his facility routinely ships crossmatched blood from their blood bank to clinics as far as 100 miles away for eventual transfusion. They pack the blood using blood shipping containers designed to keep the blood at the proper temperature for 24 hours or longer. They attach non-reversible temperature indicators to the blood units. The transfusionists are trained to verify that the blood has not reached an unacceptable temperature by looking at the temperature indicator prior to transfusion. He reports that they have had no problems using this method.

Please submit comments to the e-Network Forum.

Ira A. Shulman, MD
CBBS e-Network Forum Editor & Moderator
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Posted: November 13, 2002

Addenda: Dec. 11, 2002

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