Date: Friday, May 4, 2012
Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Credits: 7.0 CMLE Credits
Author(s):
Michelle Brown, MS, MT(ASCP)SBBCM
Assistant Professor , Clinical Practice Coordinator, Clinical Laboratory Science Program, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Description:
Attend this workshop to become a skillful, well-rounded blood banker and more valuable in the workplace. This intermediate session will engage you in challenging discussions and case studies regarding component procurement and safety, the decision to transfuse, serological problem solving, and transfusion reactions. Precise identification of alloantibodies is required in order to prevent red cell antibody-mediated transfusion reactions. Clinically significant antibodies that develop due to transfusion, pregnancy, and transplantation can complicate the search for compatible components. This workshop will sharpen your antibody identification skills to give you confidence when progressing beyond a panel or two. A discussion of various techniques will help you develop a systematic approach to serological problem solving.
You’ll also gain the knowledge to understand transfusion decisions and evaluate transfusion reactions, along with information you can use in multidisciplinary meetings and committees. You will discover new trends in transfusion triggers to share with the rest of the healthcare team, which can lead to improvements in patient care and the bottom line. In addition, several hot topics in transfusion medicine–nitrous oxide in stored blood, TRALI vs. TACO, and the causes and reporting of errors– will be discussed.
Following this workshop, you will be able to:
- Explain transfusion safety and blood component safety and the differences between them.
- Discuss the criteria that are good predictors of blood utilization practices and evaluate the decision to transfuse.
- Determine antibody specificity when given case history and serological results.
- Identify the symptoms associated with, and determine the causes and treatments for, TRALI and hemolytic transfusion reactions.