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Blood Bank Specimen Collection

Specimen Collection for Pretransfusion Testing

All patients who are collected for blood products, blood components, or "Type and Screen" must be armbanded. Only trained personnel may draw the blood bank specimen and band the recipient. Trained personnel consist of laboratory phlebotomists and technologists, or nurses from oncology, dialysis, surgery or other trained nurses. MMC education department trains newly hired nurses.

The Blood Bank armband system utilizes a unique alpha/numeric code, which is vital in the procedure of matching the correct crossmatched blood component with the correct patient. It also is used when matching the compatible blood type for noncrossmatched products.

The patient must be armbanded PRIOR TO drawing the blood bank specimen. The unique alpha/numeric code on the specimen must also match the armband alpha/numeric code. If this rule is not followed, the specimen will not be accepted.

Complete the following information on the Blood Bank card:

  • Patient's first and last name

  • Date and time of collection

  • Initials (ID mnemonic) of blood collector

  • MMC Admission number (if applicable)

  • Meditech specimen number (if available)

Recipient band:

    • Patient's first and last name
    • Date of birth

Blood Bank Wristband:

The plastic Blood Bank wristband is pink. Insert the recipient band portion of the Blood Bank card into the front side of pink band. Before you clip this band to the patient's wrist, confirm positive identification of the patient, using both name and date of birth identifiers.

Specimen tube label:

Collect the blood specimen in a 6 mL pink-top EDTA Vacutainer ® tube (invert at least 10 times). While you are still at the patient's bedside, attach the specimen label securely to the tube, verifying the unique alpha/numeric code matches the wristband. If the Blood Bank Meditech labels for that specimen are available, you may put this label over the specimen label. Be careful not to conceal the alpha/numeric code. The blood collector must be identified for permanent records. The ID mnemonic of the blood collector will be entered into the Meditech system.

Do not centrifuge the specimen. Send the properly labeled tube, the completed lab order form and the Blood Bank card to the blood bank for testing. The specimen is to be kept at room temperature (ambient) and must be received within 4 hours of collection. This is available for three days.

Redraws:

If the patient is already banded, a new specimen may be drawn without rebanding the patient. The above label criteria must be put on the new specimen tube label along with the unique alpha/numeric code that is on the patient's wristband.

AUTOLOGOUS DONATION – POLICY

  • Meadville Medical Center
  • Central Blood Bank - Pittsburgh Donor Services

DONATION

Central Blood Bank’s special donations office phone number for patient use is 1-800-310-9552. Autologous or directed donation hotline for physician and hospital use is 1-888-413-7955. If you haven’t received notification of an autologous unit that has been drawn, or any other questions, call the hotline.

Autologous Donation –Patient Fact Sheet can be distributed to the prospective donor. The fact sheet can be copied and given to the patient. Physicians must be familiar with this fact sheet so that the required information is on the prescription that is given to the patient.

Donations are scheduled on Mondays between 2 PM and 7 PM at Crawford County Community Center, 1034 Park Ave., Meadville, Pa. The patient will be scheduled to donate one unit at a time. It will be recommended that they wait seven days between donations.

There will be a printout notification of the patient’s schedule for the autologous program faxed to the hospital. If unsuccessful, or donor does not keep appointment, the hospital will be notified.

The physician must specify the number of autologous blood units in their orders upon admission. For example: 2 units of Autologous Red Cells

RECORD KEEPING

Physicians must order the number of autologous units that they requested to have available for a patient’s surgery. (Do NOT order “Type and Screen”). When the pre-deposited autologous units are received at Meadville Medical Center, two letters will be distributed. One letter will be sent to the physician’s office stating that an autologous unit has been drawn with the name of the patient and the date the unit is stored at Liberty St. Blood Bank. Another letter with the same information will be sent to admissions for the patient’s chart with a green label that states, “PLEASE SPECIFY AUTOLOGOUS WHEN ORDERING BLOOD” to be put on the patient’s chart by nursing upon admission.

TRANSFUSION

Clerical check at the bedside is essential. The patient is drawn and banded as required for all crossmatches and transfusions. The Blood Bank performs pretransfusion testing on all units.

A unit is available for use until 35 days after collection. If surgery is postponed it is possible to freeze the unit of blood. Contact CBB for further details. Authorization to Freeze Autologous Units form is available through MMC blood bank.

References: AABB Technical Manual, 25th Edition, 2008