24EL-408 On-Demand eCast: Establishing a National Transfusion Antibody Registry

Live Program Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Program Number: 24EL-408

Educational Track: Technical/Clinical
Topics: Blood Donation & Collection, Patient Transfusion
Intended Audience: Blood Bank Directors, Hospital Administration, Laboratory Managers, Medical Technologists, Pathologists
Teaching Level: Basic, Intermediate

Faculty
(titles and affiliations at the time of the live program)
Director/Moderator: Amit Gokhale, MD, FASCP, Hemotherapy Director & Blood Bank Director, HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center; Hemotherapy & Transfusion Medicine Consultant, HCA Houston Healthcare Gulf Coast Division; Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Speaker: Sean R. Stowell, MD, PhD, Medical Director of Apheresis, Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Associate Professor, Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Program Description
Many blood bankers have been involved in or witnessed delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions during their careers. These reactions lead to increased morbidity and mortality, and can be preventable with accurate and up to date antibody records. As many patients receive care at different hospitals and hospital systems, many blood banks have an incomplete antibody profile of their patients. As the concentration of an alloantibody declines and becomes undetectable over a period of time, it is imperative that blood banks are aware of all antibodies being detected at other institutions.

Currently, blood bank staff must call multiple blood banks and acquire the patient’s blood transfusion history over the telephone. At the receiving end, staff must be available to answer the phone, verify the patient identity and of the medical technologist, look up the patient’s information, and verbally communicate it over the phone. This telephone communication can be less secure, takes longer, and can be highly prone to errors.

The creation of a national transfusion antibody registry will improve the speed, reliability, and patient safety in transfusion medicine. It will increase the accuracy of patients’ antibody records, decrease delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions, and promote safe blood transfusions.

Learning Objectives
After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Define what a national blood banking antibody registry is.
• Discuss the reasons for why a national antibody registry is needed.
• Recognize the challenges in establishing a national antibody registry.
• Describe how a national antibody registry would improve transfusion safety and patient care.

How to Claim Continuing Education Credit

• Single Viewers: if you registered as a single viewer, complete the evaluation found on the "CE Information" tab after watching the video. By submitting the evaluation, you are attesting to watching the presentation in its entirety.

• Group Viewers: This is applicable for groups/facilities that purchased Group Viewing access for this program (registration will be verified prior to processing a group viewing attendance log). Group Viewing Coordinators should submit the attendance log to eLearning@aabb.org within 72 hours of the completion/viewing date. Once AABB receives an attendance log, each participant on the attendance log will be granted access as a single viewer to this program and will be required to complete the evaluation in order to claim continuing education credit. Each participant will be required to have an AABB account in order to access this program/platform. If a participant does not have an account, he/she can create one using the same email address provided on the attendance log.