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Looking for a little help from the group here.
I've got an interest in transfusion medicine, and have found my way into being a member of the hospital's transfusion medicine team. One of the subcommittees is focusing on reducing blood product waste. I have a ton of great info from our blood bank about the amount of product waste, but would like to hear what others have done to help keep products from ending up in the garbage.
We waste more platelets than any other product, by far, mostly due to outdating; once platelets are pooled, we have to transfuse them within 4 hrs, or they get the heave-ho. My anecdotal experience is that a surgeon will look over the drape and say "He's pretty oozy - let's get some platelets in here", and then we do, and then for whatever reason, the platelets don't get transfused.
Have you guys focused on anything like this? Any strategies work for you?
Thanks in advance for the replies.
Looking for a little help from the group here.
I've got an interest in transfusion medicine, and have found my way into being a member of the hospital's transfusion medicine team. One of the subcommittees is focusing on reducing blood product waste. I have a ton of great info from our blood bank about the amount of product waste, but would like to hear what others have done to help keep products from ending up in the garbage.
We waste more platelets than any other product, by far, mostly due to outdating; once platelets are pooled, we have to transfuse them within 4 hrs, or they get the heave-ho. My anecdotal experience is that a surgeon will look over the drape and say "He's pretty oozy - let's get some platelets in here", and then we do, and then for whatever reason, the platelets don't get transfused.
Have you guys focused on anything like this? Any strategies work for you?
Thanks in advance for the replies.