FAQs: Specimen Labelling, Ordering & Collection
How do I request blood components or order a Type & Screen (T & S)?
- Request Blood Products by ordering through the Cerner computer system.
- Print out the white sticker label.
- Attach the white sticker label to the Orange Card below.
- Fill out the Orange Card with emphasis on the black boxes below.
How do I label Blood Bank Specimens (pink 6 ml tube)?
Ensure that labeling of all tubes must occur at the patient’s side and include the following:
What color tube do I use for a Type & Screen (T & S)?
| Patient Population | Number & Color of Tubes |
|---|---|
| Pre-admission Testing (PAT) Adults / Pediatrics (> 2 years old) |
One Pink Top Tubes (6 ml for each tube) |
| All other categories: Adults / Pediatrics (>2 years old) |
One Pink Top Tube (6 ml) |
| Pediatrics (< 2 years old) |
Two Pediatric Lavender Top Tubes (1 ml for each tube) |
| Umbilical Cord Samples | One Pink Top Tube (6 ml) |
How many Blood Bank specimens do I need to send?
For most patients who have a previous ABO/Rh record at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, only one specimen needs to be sent to the Blood Bank.
Two Specimen Policy
Except for emergency situations, for patients who do NOT have a previous ABO/Rh record at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center Blood Bank, ABO/Rh typing must be performed on two (2) different specimens collected at different times, during the current or a previous visit. If drawn during the same visit, they should be drawn at least 10 minutes apart prior to release of a blood product. The specimen sets may be drawn by the same or by different phlebotomists.
Note: Until the second specimen set is collected and tested by the Blood Bank, blood products will be available only with an Emergency Release form [the second side (back side) of the orange requisition, Request For Blood Components, # BB-50-5, signed by an attending physician. In such a situation, blood product issue will be based upon testing and/or crossmatch of the first available specimen set. The second specimen set must be provided as soon as possible.
How long does it take to prepare blood products & how long can I store the product?
For patients with a negative antibody screen, no antibodies, no history of clinically significant antibodies and no history of transfusion reactions and without any blood product modification (ie washed or plasma reduced):
| Product | Time to be prepared by the Blood Bank | Must be transfused within | Expiration Time after the product leaves the Blood Bank (cannot be returned to the Blood Bank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Blood Cells (stored at 4 C) |
60 min for STAT orders if patient has current T & S
2 hours for routine orders |
4 hrs | 30 min (except if kept in an OR refrigerator then product expires 30 min after taken out of the OR refrigerator) |
| Platelets (stored at room temp) |
60 min for STAT orders 2 hours for routine orders |
4 hrs | 30 min; should NOT be placed into a refrigerator |
| Plasma (stored frozen & must be thawed) |
60 min for STAT orders 2 hours for routine orders |
4 hrs | 30 min (except if kept in an OR refrigerator then product expires 30 min after taken out of the OR refrigerator) |
| Cryoprecipitate (stored frozen & must be thawed) |
60 min for STAT orders 2 hours for routine orders |
4 hrs | 30 min; should NOT be placed into a refrigerator |
For patients with a new antibody or a history of clinically significant antibodies or a history of transfusion reactions, it may take more time to prepare the blood product.
When do Pre-Op Specimens need to be sent?
They must be delivered to the Blood Bank by 2 pm of the day preceding surgery.
What is the expiration time for a Type and Screen?
Expires at midnight of the third day after the blood draw.
How long can a blood product be kept out of the Transfusion Service?
Can be kept out of the Blood Bank for a maximum of 30 minutes which includes transport time.
However, for operating room cases, the red cells & plasma should be transfused into the patient within 30 minutes after taken from the OR refrigerator.
How long do I have to transfuse the blood product?
All blood products should not exceed 4 hours for completion of transfusion. In non-bleeding patients, recommend transfusion time for Red Cells is 2–3 hours. Recommended transfusion time for platelets plasma and cryopreciate, in non-bleeding patients is 60 minutes.
When can I transfuse Rh positive products to an Rh negative patient?
| Product | Can an Rh negative person receive this Rh positive product? |
|---|---|
| RBCs | No |
| Plasma | Yes (does not contain red blood cells) |
| Cryoprecipitate | Yes (does not contain red blood cells) |
| Platelets | Yes with co-administration of Rh immune globlin (RhIG) 300 micrograms within 72 hours of
Rh+ platelet transfusion.How to Administer Rh Immune Globulin1. For platelet count
> 50,000/mm3 inject RhIG by IM (intramuscularly) in the upper, outer quadrant of the
buttock with the needle directed anteriorly to minimize the possibility of injury
to the sciatic nerve. 2. For platelet count < 50.000/mm3 inject RhIG by SQ (subcutaneously) in the fat of the lateral aspect of the thigh. Avoid IM inject to prevent hematoma of the buttock.Rh positive platelet products contain a small amount of red blood cells (< 1.5 ml). RhIG is given to Rh negative persons to prevent the immunization and subsequent formation of anti-D. This can pose a problem if a women becomes pregnant with a Rh positive fetus. |