Ordering Blood Components

Blood and blood components must be ordered by a Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) such as a physician or nurse practitioner. Transfusions should only be prescribed for a patient when the benefit of transfusion is likely to outweigh the risk.

TRANSFUSION RELATED LABORATORY orders

Type & Screen (T&S)

T&S is a pre-transfusion laboratory test that consists of ABO/Rh testing along with an antibody screen. A T&S is required before blood components can be release for a patient. Having a T&S ready and available for patients who may need a transfusion allows for quicker dispensing of necessary blood component when the need is determined.

NOTE - If the antibody screen is positive there will be an inherent delay to find the correct component that is compatible for the patient. The delay can range from 1-2 hours or possibly even days depending on the complexity.

Specimen Requirements

All requests must include requesting physician's name and ID number, patient's complete name, UH number, current account number, patient location, clinical information/diagnosis, identity of phlebotomist and verifier, and date/time of sample collection. The specimen must be labeled with the patient's full name and UH number. Specimens should be transported to the laboratory in a biohazard specimen bag with the request form in the pocket of the bag. All information must be complete and legible on the specimen and the requisition.

Causes for Specimen Rejection

• No label on tube
• Incorrect or incomplete patient identifiers
• Incorrect or incomplete collection information
• Wrong tube type
• Gross hemolysis
• Diluted specimen
• QNS

NOTE- If a specimen is rejected; a Blood Bank technologist will contact the nurse or physician of the rejection and need for re-collection.

EXPIRATION OF THE COMPATIBILITY SPECIMEN

The expiration of a compatibility specimen only applies to Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBCS).

For adults: the specimen expires 3 days after the specimen was collected. For example, if the sample was collected on Tuesday, it would expire Friday at 23:59.

For infants: the specimen for infants < 4 months expires when the infant turns 4 months of age. For infants ≥ 4 months of age, the expiration of the compatibility specimen follows the same principle as adults.