Continuing education episode! Usually, red cell alloantibodies are simple (find an antibody, give antigen-negative blood), but occasionally, some of them don't follow the rules! "Antibodies of variable clinical significance" act differently in different patients, sometimes causing hemolysis and sometimes not. They can be very hard to manage, especially because almost all blood donors are incompatible. The Monocyte Monolayer Assay, developed by today's guest, Sandy Nance, and her colleagues at the American Red Cross, helps answer the question, “Do we search the world for rare units of compatible blood, or can we just transfuse ABO-compatible red cells out of our regular inventory?” It's a great story, and this is a rare chance to hear about the MMA from one of the original sources, and to understand how to use it today.

Blood Bank Guy Essentials Podcast

093CE: The Mighty MMA with Sandy Nance

Platelets have been used to save the lives of patients with low platelet counts for decades. For the most part, they are considered a safe and effective means to correct the problem of a patient not having enough platelets of their own. Despite that, we have wondered for decades about whether or not platelets should be given to patients with certain diseases where their platelets are being removed from circulation, like ITP, TTP, and HIT. My guest in this episode, Dr. Ruchika Goel, looked at platelet transfusion in those three entities, and she has data to share with us that might change the way you transfuse these patients.

092: When Platelet Transfusion Might Not Be Wise with Ruchika Goel

In 2017, Dr. Mark Yazer appeared on this podcast to discuss the burgeoning interest in “Low-titer Group O Whole Blood (LTOWB)” for massive transfusions, particularly in trauma settings. Since then, more data and experience are available to guide the use of whole blood for trauma transfusion. Dr. Yazer updates us on the latest whole blood and incompatible plasma transfusion data, and clears up once and for all the "clear fluids" debate! Plus, there's some hockey trash talk...

091: Wholly Whole Blood, the Sequel! with Mark Yazer

Despite guidance in a 2015 publication from international experts in immunohematology and transfusion medicine, many clinicians and laboratorians have yet to integrate RHD genotyping into routine practice when a patient’s RhD serologic typing is weaker than expected. In this interview, international immunohematology expert Sue Johnson shows us how we can do better!

090CE: RHD Genotyping; We Can do Better! with Sue Johnson

Continuing education episode! Transfusion reactions that involve the heart and/or lungs, especially TACO and TRALI, are responsible for more transfusion deaths than any other entity. In this interview, Dr. Cserti-Gazdewich focuses on these two reactions and gives tips and strategies to identify, manage, and prevent them.

089CE: The Transfused and the Breathless with Christine Cserti-Gazdewich

Warm autoantibodies have a well-deserved reputation as tough challenges, creating unfamiliar situations for both clinical and laboratory staff. I interviewed the authors of two recent papers that outlined best practices in this situation to gain some clarity and help!

088: Warm Autoantibody Best Practices with Alyssa Ziman and Meghan Delaney

Continuing education episode! Blood transfusion is less likely to transmit infections today than ever. Through a combination of screening questions, donor testing, and direct treatment of blood products, the vast majority of opportunities for transfusion-transmitted infections are eliminated. In this learner-focused interview, Dr. Suchi Pandey from Stanford outlines current strategies to keep blood safe.

087CE: Transfusion-transmitted Infections with Suchi Pandey

Continuing education episode! Every now and then, the routine practice of Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine gets intimidating. A difficult patient situation arises here, an impossible choice looms there. What do you do when there are no easy answers? Drs Mark Fung and Jay Hudgins are expert Transfusion Medicine practitioners who have years of experience dealing with these “scary” situations! In this special Halloween 2020 episode, they are here to help learners with ideas on how to approach some seemingly impossible situations.

086CE: Scary Stories from the Transfusion Service with Mark Fung and Jay Hudgins

Continuing education episode! Every now and then, when a transfusion service does a pretransfusion workup, they find that the patient's plasma is incompatible with EVERY other red cell! In other words, NOTHING is compatible! These situations are intimidating, and can lead to delays in transfusion. Dr. Jill Storry is an international immunohematology expert, and she shares practical tips for what to do and how to recognize the three main patterns of panagglutinins.

085CE: What to do When Everything is Incompatible with Jill Storry

Special episode! In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, does convalescent plasma from recovered patients offer fresh hope for those who are critically ill? The medical leaders of the two largest blood collectors in the US are here to help us work through the challenges and triumphs for COVID-19 convalescent plasma.

084: COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma with Pampee Young and Ralph Vassallo

Continuing education episode! Let’s be honest: Some hospital transfusion committees feel like a waste of time! Sparsely attended sessions and minimal progress on important issues are the norm in many facilities. Others wonder if five minutes of transfusion discussion in a quality or pharmacy committee is really having any impact. However, Dr. Carolyn Burns thinks transfusion committees are not hopeless! In this interview, she outlines her practical steps for building the perfect transfusion committee. She discusses how to recruit members, how to find “champions,” what to discuss and analyze, and shares what she has observed in the most effective transfusion committees. Whether your facility is doing a great job already or you are reading this and thinking, “I’m supposed to be reviewing transfusion stuff?”, Carolyn will help you go beyond just “checking the boxes.”

083CE: Building the Perfect Transfusion Committee with Carolyn Burns

In this emergency episode, recorded on March 16, 2020, I discuss actions blood collectors and hospitals should be thinking of now to preserve the US blood supply, as well as a look at the global COVID-19 pandemic. We also briefly discuss convalescent plasma and its potential role.

082: COVID-19 and the Blood Supply with Louis Katz

Continuing education episode! The 32nd edition of AABB Standards is effective April 2020. Rich Gammon, Chair of the BBTS Standards Committee, is here with the Top 10 changes you need to know! From blood donors to recipients, these changes will keep you in the know about best practices in Transfusion Medicine, even if you are not AABB-accredited.

081CE: Top Ten Changes in the NEW AABB Standards with Rich Gammon

Continuing education episode! Those who oversee blood collection organizations wrestle constantly with two questions: “How can I keep my blood donors safe?” and “How can I keep the recipients of the blood we are collecting safe?” These twin responsibilities shape decisions and policies in blood donor centers worldwide. Dr. Mindy Goldman, Medical Director at Canadian Blood Services (CBS), is deeply involved in the evaluation of those core questions. As a result, I wanted her to describe Canada’s decisions on two big issues: First, whether to impose an upper age limit on blood donors, and second, how long to defer men from blood donation who have had intimate contact with other men. Please note: I encourage respectful comments only at BBGuy.org/080

080CE: Is This Donor "Safe?" with Mindy Goldman

With the FDA's 2019 publication of their Final Guidance on how to prevent patients from receiving platelet products contaminated with bacteria, it finally feels like pathogen reduction technology is about to "get real" in the United States! There was a time, though, that modern versions of pathogen reduction existed only in the minds of some really, really smart people. One of those brilliant minds is my guest, and his name is Dr. Ray Goodrich. Ray shares the backstory of how modern pathogen reduction techniques came to be.

079: Pioneering Pathogen Reduction with Ray Goodrich

Dr. Joe Chaffin from the "Blood Bank Guy" website takes his light-hearted approach to a biweekly interview show, discussing core transfusion medicine topics with educational leaders. You'll smile, and have fun, and never EVER stop learning!

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Blood Bank Guy Essentials Podcast

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