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Background: Kidd blood group antibodies are notorious for transient detection and hemolytic transfusion reactions. This report compares the rate of detection of anti-Jk a when using gel column agglutination versus solid-phase red blood cell adherence (SPRCA) testing and documents the occurrence of hemolytic transfusion reactions in 17 recently transfused patients who developed anti-Jk a that were detectable by SPRCA but were undetectable by gel., Study Design and Methods: Before April 20, 2011, the laboratory used gel column agglutination as the primary method for antibody screening and identification. From April 20, 2011, to August 12, 2013, SPRCA was adopted as the primary method for antibody screen with gel remaining the primary method for identification. SPRCA identification was also performed if sufficient sample was available. Medical records were reviewed for evidence of hemolytic reaction in patients whose anti-Jk a was negative or inconclusive by gel, but clearly identifiable by SPRCA at the time the anti-Jk a was first identified., Results: A total of 105 patients were discovered with anti-Jk a from 88,478 SPRCA screens performed. In 32 patients, anti-Jk a was initially discovered by SPRCA testing and concurrent gel testing was completely negative (n = 26) or inconclusive (n = 6). Seventeen of the 32 patients were recently transfused and of these six met criteria for delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction (DHTR), three had possible DHTRs, and eight had delayed serologic reactions; 13 of the transfused patients received Jk(a-) RBCs to avoid potential hemolysis., Conclusion: SPRCA testing significantly increased the discovery of clinically significant anti-Jk a and facilitated the earlier use of Jk(a-) RBCs to avoid hemolytic transfusion reactions., (© 2016 AABB.)

Background: The Pragmatic, Randomized Optimal Platelets and Plasma Ratios (PROPPR) trial was a randomized clinical trial comparing survival after transfusion of two different blood component ratios for emergency resuscitation of traumatic massive hemorrhage. Transfusion services supporting the study were expected to provide thawed plasma, platelets, and red blood cells within 10 minutes of request., Study Design and Methods: At the 12 Level 1 trauma centers participating in PROPPR, blood components transfused and delivery times were tabulated, with a focus on universal donor (UD) plasma management. The adequacy of site plans was assessed by comparing the bedside blood availability times to study goals and the new American College of Surgeons guidelines., Results: Eleven of 12 sites were able to consistently deliver 6 units of thawed UD plasma to their trauma-receiving unit within 10 minutes and 12 units in 20 minutes. Three sites used blood group A plasma instead of AB for massive transfusion without complications. Approximately 4700 units of plasma were given to the 680 patients enrolled in the trial. No site experienced shortages of AB plasma that limited enrollment. Two of 12 sites reported wastage of thawed AB plasma approaching 25% of AB plasma prepared., Conclusion: Delivering UD plasma to massively hemorrhaging patients was accomplished consistently and rapidly and without excessive wastage in high-volume trauma centers. The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program guidelines for massive transfusion protocol UD plasma availability are practicable in large academic trauma centers. Use of group A plasma in trauma resuscitation needs further study., (© 2015 AABB.)

Introduction: Central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening condition, especially in patients with acquired coagulopathy. In this setting, treatment of CNS bleeding includes hemostatic therapy to replenish coagulation factors. There is currently a debate over the hemostatic efficacy of plasma in many clinical settings, alongside increasing concern about transfusion-associated adverse events. Despite these concerns, plasma is widely used. Moreover, plasma transfusion practice is variable and there is currently no uniform approach to treatment of traumatic, surgical or spontaneous CNS hemorrhage. This study addresses the need for guidance on the indications and potential risks of plasma transfusion in these settings. An Expert Consensus Panel was convened to develop recommendations guiding the use of plasma to treat bleeding and/or coagulopathy associated with CNS hemorrhage. The panel did not advise on the best treatment available but rather proposed recommendations to be used in the formulation of local procedures to support emergency physicians in their decision-making process., Methods: Evidence was systematically gathered from the literature and rated using methods established by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. The evidence was used to develop graded consensus recommendations, which are presented along with the evidence-based rationale for each in this report., Results: Sixty-five articles were identified covering both vitamin K antagonist-anticoagulation reversal and treatment of bleeding/coagulopathy in non-anticoagulated patients. Recommendations were then developed in four clinical scenarios within each area, and agreed on unanimously by all members of the panel., Conclusion: The Panel considered plasma to be reasonable therapy for CNS hemorrhage requiring urgent correction of coagulopathy, although physicians should be prepared for potential cardiopulmonary complications, and evidence suggests that alternative therapies have superior risk-benefit profiles. Plasma could not be recommended in the absence of hemorrhage or coagulopathy. Consideration of the absolute risks and benefits of plasma therapy before transfusion is imperative.

Context: Data collection and analysis of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Interlaboratory Comparison Program (Proficiency Testing) J-Survey results provide insights into North American pretransfusion compatibility testing practices and trends., Objectives: To assess current North American manual testing practices for ABO grouping, rhesus (Rh) typing, antibody screening, and crossmatching using CAP proficiency testing data., Design: Analysis of the CAP Interlaboratory Comparison Program J-Survey data (2005-2010) to identify laboratory methods used for ABO grouping, Rh typing, antibody screening, and crossmatching. Data were analyzed by test method using Microsoft (Redmond, Washington) Excel software., Results: The method used most often in ABO grouping and Rh typing was tube testing. Many laboratories also used tube testing for antibody detection and crossmatching, but during the study period, the proportion of laboratories using gel-based methodologies increased considerably., Conclusions: Most North American CAP laboratories continue to use tube methods for ABO/Rh testing. Use of gel-based methodologies increased during the past 5 years for antibody screening and crossmatching.

Context: Hemolytic transfusion reactions due to platelet transfusions containing ABO-incompatible plasma (ie, group O platelets into a non-group O patient) have been reported in the literature. However, limited data describe the extent to which transfusion services manage such platelet transfusions or the methods used to limit the risk of such reactions., Objective: To determine transfusion services' current practices regarding the use of platelets containing ABO-incompatible plasma., Design: In a College of American Pathologists' Transfusion Medicine Proficiency Testing Survey, supplemental questions asked participants whether a policy existed for the use of platelets containing ABO-incompatible plasma and, if a policy existed, what elements were part of the policy., Results: Of 3156 laboratories that transfused platelets, 3152 responded to the question of whether they had a policy. Of these respondents, 83% (n = 2623) had a policy. One or more elements were reported for transfusions in adults: only ABO-compatible plasma products (n = 1363); only ABO-compatible plasma and platelet products (n = 679); notification of medical director (n = 646); notification of ordering physician (n = 637); volume limit of ABO-incompatible plasma allowed (n = 255); volume-reduction of ABO-incompatible products (n = 168); screening for critical titer of anti-A or anti-B (n = 53). A total of 529 laboratories indicated that they did not have a policy., Conclusions: A majority of laboratories have a policy, but most do not include a method to limit the risk of hemolysis if platelets containing ABO-incompatible plasma must be transfused. When such platelets are used, there does not appear to be consensus on a specific method to minimize the transfusion of anti-A or anti-B.

Background: Transfusion of the incorrect blood component is a frequent serious incident associated with transfusion and often involves misidentification of the patient and/or the unit of blood. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a simple intervention designed to improve performance of the bedside check and to observe the durability of any effect. The intervention was a tag on blood bags reminding staff to check the patient's wristband. The tag was positioned in such a way that the transfusionist was required to remove the tag to spike the unit., Study Design and Methods: The intervention was tested in a multicenter cluster-randomized controlled trial incorporating short-term and long-term follow-up periods. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients transfused with red cell units for whom the key elements of the bedside check were all correctly completed., Results: Fifteen matched-paired clinical areas at 12 participating hospitals in six countries were included in the trial. Combining data from all participating hospitals, the bedside check was correctly performed in 37 percent of transfusions during the baseline audit period. There was no evidence of a favorable effect of the intervention immediately after its introduction (pooled odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-2.17). There was similarly no evidence of a favorable effect after continued use of the intervention for an additional 8 weeks., Conclusions: A simple intervention in the form of a barrier warning label on blood bags reminding staff to check the patient's wristband failed to improve bedside transfusion practice. The robust study design developed for this study could be applied to investigate other interventions to improve the safety of bedside transfusion practice.

Context: A blood bank can provide compatible blood for an elective surgical procedure, provided a blood sample is received by the laboratory with sufficient time to allow pretransfusion testing and acquire enough compatible red blood cell units. With the push for same-day admission surgical procedures, a patient's pretransfusion blood sample is often collected the morning of surgery. However, if blood is needed, compatible units might not be immediately available., Objective: To define and improve the process of completing presurgical/preadmission type and screen testing and verifying the ABO/Rh status of scheduled surgical patients before they receive a transfusion., Study Design: A list of surgical procedures that might necessitate blood transfusion was created. A checklist was used to ensure that the preoperative clinic nurse collects a baseline pretransfusion blood sample for type and screen testing from patients scheduled for a listed procedure. A new pretransfusion specimen was received on the day of surgery, if needed, so that a current specimen would be available for compatibility testing and to verify the accuracy of the patient's ABO/Rh status in case blood was requested., Results: During the 1-year study period, 666 patients qualified for baseline type and screen testing. Cholecystectomy was the most commonly scheduled surgery. In 99% of cases, a baseline type and screen specimen was received in the laboratory at least 1 day before surgery. The interval between the preoperative clinic visit and date of surgery varied from same day (6 patients) to 3 months., Conclusion: Timely receipt of a presurgical specimen for type and screen testing and verification of a patient's ABO/Rh status can be ensured when clinical services collaborate and when the hospital blood utilization committee provides oversight to improve compliance.

Background: The Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) was applied to improve the timeliness of reporting and the timeliness of receipt by the responsible licensed caregiver of critical laboratory values (CLVs) for outpatients and non-critical care inpatients., Methods: Through a risk prioritization process, the most important areas for improvement, including contacting the provider, assisting the provider in contacting the patient, and educating the provider in follow-up options available during off hours, were identified., Actions Taken: A variety of systemic improvements were made; for example, the CLV notification process was centralized in the customer service center, with databases to help providers select options and make arrangements for follow-up care and an electronic abstract form to document the CLV notification process. Review of documentation and appropriateness of CLV follow-up care was integrated into the quality monitoring process to detect any variations or problems., Results: The average CLV notification time for the month steadily declined during an eight-month period. Compliance was 100% for the "read-back" requirement and documentation in patient's health record., Discussion: This proactive risk assessment project successfully modified the CLV notification program from a high- to a low-risk process, identified activities to further improve the process, and helped ensure compliance with a variety of requirements.

Context: Many patients request that autologous blood or components be collected and available for use during scheduled surgical or invasive medical procedures to avoid exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) from allogeneic transfusions. Some patients from whom autologous blood is collected are themselves infected with HIV, HBV, or HCV. However, unlike HIV-, HBV-, or HCV-infected allogeneic blood and components, which must be excluded from the community blood supply, infected autologous blood and components are allowed to be stored in hospitals and transfused back to the patients (autologous donors) from whom the blood was collected. Although the transfusion of HIV-, HBV-, or HCV-infected autologous blood or components does not present a risk to the autologous donor, such a transfusion presents a risk to other patients, considering that at least 1 in every 25,000 transfusions are administered to the wrong individual., Objective: To determine if hospital transfusion services store and/or transfuse autologous blood or components infected with HIV, HBV, and/or HCV., Design: An educational enhancement subsection of a College of American Pathologists Proficiency Testing Survey (J-C 2003) assessed transfusion service practices for storing and/or transfusing HIV-, HBV-, and HCV-infected autologous blood and components., Setting and Participants: A total of 4251 participants were asked whether they stored and/or transfused autologous blood or components and whether these stored blood products included those that were infected with HIV, HBV, or HCV., Results: Of the 4251 survey respondents, 3561 provided data regarding their autologous blood and component storage and/or transfusion practices. A total of 2988 participants reported that they store and/or transfuse autologous blood or components. A total of 2390 respondents reported that they do not test autologous donations collected in their own institution for evidence of infection with HIV, HBV, or HCV. Most survey participants reported that even if an autologous donation is tested and found to be infected they would still be willing to store and transfuse the blood component, according to which agent was causing the infection: HIV (n = 1867), HBV (n = 2158), or HCV (n = 2233)., Conclusion: Most North American hospitals do not test autologous blood donations that they collect in their own institution for evidence of infection with HIV, HBV, or HCV, leading to the conclusion that infected autologous blood components are being stored and transfused. Even when autologous donations are tested and found to be infected with HIV, HBV, or HCV, most North American hospitals would be willing to store and/or transfuse the infected autologous blood components.

Context: Pretransfusion testing of whole blood and red blood cell recipients is regulated by the federal government under the authority of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. Regulated tests include determination of ABO group, Rh D type, antibody detection, antibody identification, and crossmatching. A wide variety of methods and reagents are available for these regulated tests. During 2001-2004, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Interlaboratory Comparison Program (Proficiency Testing) J-Survey collected data from more than 4000 laboratories regarding their pretransfusion testing practices. Those data are presented in this report., Objective: To assess current testing practices for ABO grouping, Rh D typing, antibody detection, and crossmatching in North America., Design: Data collected for the CAP Interlaboratory Comparison Program (Proficiency Testing) J-Survey were analyzed for trends in laboratory testing practice during 2001- 2004. The data were grouped for analysis by peer group (testing method used) for ABO grouping, Rh D typing, antibody detection, and crossmatching and then analyzed. SETTING, PATIENTS, OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Subscribers to the CAP Interlaboratory Comparison Program Transfusion Medicine J-Series., Results: The most common testing schemes used in North America during 2001-2004 are as follows: ABO grouping (most laboratories perform tube testing: 97.6% in 2000 and 91.1% in 2004); Rh D typing (most laboratories perform tube testing: 97.7% in 2001 and 91.1% in 2004); antibody detection (most laboratories perform tube testing: 69.7% in 2001 and 55% in 2004, most frequently with the low ionic strength solution anti-human globulin [AHG] method, 48.3% in 2001 and 39.9% in 2004; as of 2004 slightly more laboratories use the gel AHG method [42%] than the low ionic strength solution AHG tube method); crossmatching for alloimmunized patients (most laboratories perform tube testing using a low ionic strength solution AHG method; 55.8% in 2001 and 47.6% in 2004); and crossmatching for nonalloimmunized patients (tube testing using an immediate spin method; 42% in 2001 and 40.4% in 2004)., Conclusions: Most North American laboratories currently favor tube methods when performing ABO grouping, Rh typing, antibody screening, and crossmatching. However, there has been a significant increase in the use of gel-based methods in recent years, especially for antibody detection and crossmatching. Data collection and data analysis of CAP Interlaboratory Comparison Program Survey results allow for assessment of laboratory proficiency and provide insights into current North American practice trends in pretransfusion compatibility testing.

Context: The transfusion of donor red blood cell units (RBCs) that lack certain red cell antigens (such as C, E, and K) when the corresponding antigens are absent from the recipient's red cells has been shown to reduce the risk of red cell alloimmunization in sickle cell disease patients. However, data are limited regarding the extent to which transfusion services routinely perform red cell antigen phenotype testing of nonalloimmunized sickle cell disease patients, and then use that information to select donor RBCs lacking 1 or more of the red cell antigens that the patient's red cells do not express., Objective: To determine the extent to which transfusion services routinely perform red cell antigen phenotype testing of nonalloimmunized sickle cell disease patients, and then use that information to select donor RBCs lacking 1 or more of the red cell antigens that the patient's red cells do not express., Design: An educational subsection of a College of American Pathologists Proficiency Testing Survey (J-C 2003) assessed transfusion service practices regarding performance of red cell antigen phenotype testing of nonalloimmunized sickle cell disease patients and how transfusion services use this information for the selection of donor RBCs. The data analysis of the survey included 1182 North American laboratories., Results: Data from 1182 laboratories were included in the survey analysis, of which the majority (n = 743) reported that they did not routinely perform phenotype testing of sickle cell disease patients for antigens other than ABO and D. The other 439 laboratories reported that they did routinely perform phenotype testing of sickle cell disease patients for antigens in addition to ABO and D. The majority of these 439 laboratories (three fourths; n = 330) reported that they used these patient data for prophylactic matching with donor RBCs when sickle cell disease patients required transfusion. When phenotype-matched donor RBCs were used, the antigens most commonly matched (85% of the time) were C, E, and K., Conclusions: The majority of North American hospital transfusion service laboratories do not determine the red cell antigen phenotype of nonalloimmunized sickle cell disease patients beyond ABO and D. Those laboratories that do determine the red cell phenotype of nonalloimmunized sickle cell disease patients beyond ABO and D most commonly match for C, E, and K antigens when phenotype-matched donor RBCs are used.

Background: The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires that hospitals have a planned approach to systematically collect data on processes related to the use, ordering, and administering of blood components. This study describes how a comprehensive blood-administering assessment program and the FOCUS-PDCA approach improved overall blood-administering practices., Study Design and Methods: Nurses were trained to observe blood issuance, blood administering, and patient monitoring steps, and to audit patient's charts to measure compliance with blood-ordering procedures. The observations were recorded on a standardized scannable form, which allowed automatic entry of recorded data directly into a computer database., Results: A total of 982 assessments were completed during the 51-month study period. Documentation of informed consent improved from 80 percent to 100 percent. Compliance with a California law that requires patients to receive information on the risks, benefits, and alternatives to transfusion rose from 30 percent to 100 percent. Physicians' compliance in specifying the rate of blood administration improved from 30 percent to 100 percent, and verification of information on the patient's identification band with the patient's self-identification rose from 50 percent to 100 percent. For all other blood-administering steps, compliance remained high throughout the study period. For the past 9 months, 100-percent compliance has been maintained for all transfusion processes, and during this period no mistransfusions or blood administration near-misses have been reported., Conclusion: The blood-administering assessment program described above has improved transfusion practice, reduced the number of near-miss events, and may have prevented mistransfusions.

Background: Mandated HCV 2.0 lookback significantly challenged the human and financial resources available to the six Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) hospital blood banks. To comply with FDA requirements, DHS developed a centralized process that utilized the services of a contract vendor for performing HCV lookback., Study Design and Method: A DHS public health nurse acted as HCV lookback coordinator and as liaison with the vendor. Cases were electronically forwarded to the vendor, who then reviewed the patient's chart to obtain information necessary for tracking the patient through commercial databases. The vendor was responsible for notifying the recipient for pretest counseling and for providing documentation of all efforts., Results: In total, 411 recipients were identified, of which, 168 cases were completed by the hospitals, 243 were forwarded to the vendor, 50 percent were deceased, 21 percent were contacted, and 28 percent could not be contacted, and 1 percent could not be located on any databases. The vendor contacted 35 of 66 cases that the hospitals had unsuccessfully attempted to contact. Of the cases forwarded to the vendor, 82 percent were completed on time. Delays were attributable to the vendor in less than 2 percent of cases. The cost per case forwarded to the vendor was 322 US dollars., Conclusion: Utilizing a professional service to conduct HCV recipient notifications is an effective strategy for meeting FDA deadlines and for freeing transfusion service staff to perform critical functions. It remains to be seen whether such strategies offer a cost savings.

Objective: To present a current assessment and practical approach to the diagnosis and management of patients who are refractory to platelet transfusions., Design: A task force was convened by the College of American Pathologists under the auspices of the Transfusion Medicine Resource Committee for the purposes of outlining current concepts in the definition and diagnosis of this difficult clinical management problem and selection of the optimal platelet component for these patients., Results: This article represents a contemporary approach to the diagnosis and management of patients who are refractory to platelet transfusions. This document is based on a current literature review and dialog among members of the task force convened to address the subject., Conclusions: It is hoped that this document will represent a resource and practical approach to the issue of diagnosis and management of patients who are refractory to platelet transfusions.