1-49. LABELING AND RELEASE OF CROSSMATCHED BLOOD
a. The prescribed compatibility record must be completed. A label or tag must
be attached directly to each compatible unit of blood, and must remain attached, at least
until the transfusion is completed. This label and any other accompanying forms must
be completed.
b. The expiration date and appearance must be checked just before release of a
unit of blood. Release forms should be compared with the blood label, request forms,
and the release record must be filled out.
c. Final identification of the recipient and the blood container rests with the
transfusionist, who must positively identify the patient and donor blood and compare the
information with the compatibility report form.
1-50. RETENTION AND STORAGE OF BLOOD SAMPLES
The recipient's blood specimen and a donor sample must be sealed, or
stoppered, and kept for at least 7 days following transfusion at 1C to 6C. If possible,
the blood container should be returned to the blood bank, and stored for 24 hours or
more. The Communicable Disease Center and the College of American Pathologists
both require that the blood containers be returned and stored. This is not required by
the AABB Standards.
1-51. RELEASE OF BLOOD IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
a. In an emergency, the patient's physician must weigh the risk of transfusing
uncrossmatched or incompletely crossmatched blood against the hazard of waiting for
completed crossmatch tests.
b. If the urgency of the situation warrants release of blood before the
crossmatch is completed, the physician must indicate the urgent nature of the situation
that requires the omission of the crossmatch. Such a release does not absolve the
blood bank from its responsibility to issue properly grouped and labeled blood. In
emergency situations:
(1) If necessary, issue uncrossmatched blood. Notify a blood bank
physician that uncrossmatched blood has been released.
(a) If there is not time to determine the patient's blood group, issue
group 0 Rh-negative blood that has most of the plasma removed or is free of hemolytic
anti-A and anti-B. 0 Rh-positive blood may be issued only if 0 Rh-negative is not
available.
MD0846
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