Blood Center/Blood Hospital-Based Donor Center
Shraddha Babariya, MD (she/her/hers)
Executive Medical Director, Laboratory Services
American Red Cross
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Saqib Alvi, MD (he/him/his)
Regional Medical Director
American Red Cross- Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Barry Siegfried, MD
Regional Medical Director
American Red Cross, Michigan, United States
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Session Desription: There are various reasons requiring blood products to be isolated from the general inventory, with recipient safety being the top priority. When a blood center notifies a transfusion service to quarantine blood products, the service’s technologists, supervisors, and medical directors typically ask questions such as: Why is our product being quarantined? What is the anticipated timeline for the investigation? Is it advisable to discard the product? In these situations, it is essential that a thorough investigation is conducted to determine the safety and quality of the suspect product. A cross-functional team assesses the products and may include a comprehensive review of donor eligibility and risk assessment.
In this session, we will use case-based learning of real-life examples to illustrate common scenarios involving recipient complications and nonconforming raw materials and products. A systematic approach will be presented to address these circumstances and analyze the challenges that may lead to potential delays in resolving these investigations. Blood center recipient complication data and crucial points to consider when submitting a recipient complication will be reviewed. We will describe the role and composition of a blood center’s Material Review Board during the investigation of nonconforming raw materials and products, including detailing options for the final disposition of nonconforming items. Through the session, the audience will be invited to engage in cases and vote on dispositions by utilizing the Audience Response System.