Transfusion Safety in 2022: Experienced Phlebotomists and Electronic Systems are Key

Overview

Every blood banker’s nightmare is the occurrence of an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, and we spend a great deal of time and energy trying to avoid them. All our lab work has created a greater margin of safety and these events are rare. However, the key to success is getting the right person’s blood into the correctly labeled tube, which is the crucial job of the phlebotomist.

This "Phlebotomy Webinar" will provide basic information on blood compatibility, the consequences of incompatibility, and the recognition of an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction. Strategies to ensure that the right patient’s blood is collected will be discussed. Potential interventions will be outlined and then assessed in terms of their strength in error prevention. Consideration of prevention strength can be a good tool to find the best prevention solution.

Presenter

Paula Santrach, M.D.

Consultant, Transfusion Medicine
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Recognize the signs, symptoms, and potential outcomes of acute hemolytic transfusion reactions (AHTR).
• Identify the most common causes of an AHTR.
• Identify interventions to reduce and/or prevent such reactions.
• Assess the strength (likelihood of success) for potential interventions.

Intended audience

This series is appropriate for phlebotomists, phlebotomy managers, phlebotomy educators, and other patient care staff involved in specimen collection.

Questions?

Contact us: mcleducation@mayo.edu