header
  Search CBBS Website

Pre-Transfusion Testing: Managing a second sample that arrives while a current sample remains acceptable

A colleague in the Northeastern US wonders how other institutions handle patient samples that are submitted for pre-transfusion testing before a current sample expires (e.g., the new sample is received on day 2, but a current sample is good for one more day). What do colleagues do with a new pre-transfusion sample (e.g., test it for ABO/Rh/antibody screen or merely log it in as extra clot, etc) when a current sample is still "good"?

The following comments have been received.

ADDENDA Apr 8, 2005

1. A Blood Bank Supervisor at a hospital in central California reports that when her lab receives a new pretransfusion sample while a current sample is still "good", they log the new sample in as an "extra", but do not extend the expiration time of the "extra" sample beyond that of the expiration time of the current sample. They call the area from where the new sample originated to remind the staff that the current sample is still good. They also suggest to the staff that they wait to reorder pretransfusion tests until the appropriate day.

Please submit comments to the e-Network Forum.

Ira A. Shulman, MD
CBBS e-Network Forum Editor & Moderator
Printable PDF of this page



Posted: April 5, 2005

Addenda: Apr. 8, 2005

The e-Network Forum is supported in part by the California Blood Bank Society (CBBS) and the American Red Cross Blood Services (ARCBS) and endorses collegial discussion among blood banking and transfusion medicine professionals. However, neither the CBBS nor the ARCBS in any way endorse the specific views and opinions expressed in the forum. The forum is not intended as a substitute for medical or legal advice and the content should not be relied upon for any medical or legal purposes. Readers should make their own determinations as to: (i) what constitutes appropriate medical, technical, and administrative practices, and (ii) how best to comply with laws and regulations relevant to their questions. For the latter, they should consider consulting, as to any medical matters, a qualified physician, and, as to any legal matters, an attorney familiar with related state and federal laws. The user of the forum, by accessing same, assumes all risks arising out of such use and releases CBBS and their respective members, directors, officers and agents from and against any loss, damage, claim or liability arising out of such use of the Forum.