Anaesthetists Handbook - MEDICAL EDUCATION at University ...

Blood and blood productsBlood Cool BoxesBlood issued from the Blood Bank can be transported in approvedcool boxes. Blood must not be allowed to stay in a cool box for longerthan four hours. When cool boxes are packed with blood/componentsfor delivery, the time and date packed will be indicated on the coolbox.In which fridge will I find the Blood for my patient?For the vast majority of wards (exceptions are dealt with below) bloodissued by the laboratory will be placed into the main Blood Bankissue fridge on 4th floor. Black copy reports (ward copies) will be filedalphabetically in a box beside the fridge labelled cross match reports.Red copies (lab copies) will be filed in a box labelled Red copies indrawer order i.e. A to GWhen blood is required clinical areas are to send a member of staff tocollect blood following the procedure laid out in ‘Collecting blood fortransfusion’. Normally only one unit at a time is to be taken. Wherestaff are requested to collect more than one unit at a time they MUSTtransport the blood in a cool box. These can be obtained from BloodBank.FFP must be administered as soon as possible after defrosting, andalways within 4 hours. FFP is always issued defrosted from BloodBank. The time the product was thawed is printed on the blacklaboratory ‘cross match’ form.Cryoprecipitate must be administered as soon as possible followingreceipt.All blood products are entered on the AUTOFATE system to keeptrack of the chain from donor to recipient. This is a legal requirementof the European Union Directive on Blood Safety.When products are delivered to the clinical area and the patient isunlikely to be transfused then advice must be sought from BloodBankAnaesthetists Handbook January 2010 183