Processes and Software Building 44: Pooling Components

Medinfo Hematos IIG has a pooling operation that can be used for pooling platelets, plasma, cryoprecipitate, etc.  It is a one-step operation.  In the set-up, one specifies the maximum number of components to pool together for each component type.  In general, they are of the same ABO type;  however, at HMC Doha I did allow mixed ABO platelet pools to avoid wastage of platelets that would otherwise be discarded—this may not be allowed in all jurisdictions.

The following examples show pooling of FFP, FP24, cryoprecipitate, and cryo-poor plasma:

13/9/20

Processes and Software Building 43: Manual Whole Blood Processing

This was the HMC methodology for manual whole blood processing to prepare packed RBCs, plasma, cryoprecipitate, and cryo-poor plasma using blood bank centrifuges (not Reveos).  It did not include preparing platelets since we did not have manual buffy coat processing equipment.  In this algorithm we did not specifically release whole blood as a final product (although we did have the capability of activating this in emergency situations).

10/9/20

Processes and Software Building 42: Platelet Pooling

Outside the USA, platelet pools stored at room temperature may be valid for up to 7 days, especially if pathogen-inactivation is used.  The following workflow shows both Mirasol pathogen-inactivated and standard platelets.  The standard platelets are then irradiated.  Both types can be aliquoted.

A major advantage in using a specific blood bank computer software is to enforce the Good Manufacturing Process.  Medinfo is merciless:  there are no exceptions without authorization and that is restricted by the security policies.

In the recent Reveos post, the upper and lower platelet volume specifications were discussed.  The platelets are weighed and the volume is calculated.  If a manual or another method for preparing platelets is used, then the according values can be specified.

To Be Continued:  8/9/20

Review of Product Inserts

This is a policy I made for NGHA Jeddah many years ago but is still useful today.

Principle:

All technical staff are required to read and understand the manufacturer package inserts that apply to the procedures that they perform.  This policy establishes a means of documenting compliance with this requirement.

Policy Details:

  1. Technical staff are defined as anyone who uses the reagent in the performance of a procedure or process or anyone reviews or supervises that process or procedure.  This includes the supervisor, medical technologists, medical technicians, nurses, phlebotomists, and assistants.
  2. All technical staff are required to read and understand ALL product inserts for each procedure applicable to the section(s) that they work in—apheresis, donor room, component preparation, and/or transfusion service.
  3. If they have any questions about a particular insert, they should refer it to the supervisor, senior technologist (Med Tech 1), or in the latter’s absence, the blood bank medical director/section head.
  4. Each staff member must sign the Manufacturer’s Package Insert Review Form for that particular policy/procedure, including his signature, employee identification number, and date.
  5. Each Manufacturer’s Package Insert Review Form will be retained with a copy of the package insert by the Blood Bank Supervisor in a special file while the material is being used and for at least five (5) years after a new or revised manufacturer package insert is applicable.
  6. A new Manufacturer’s Package Insert Review Form should be used for each revision of the insert.

Insert Review Form

Type of Insert:  New  Revised
Product Name:
Date of Insert:

I have read this insert and understand its contents and accept responsibility for following its instructions and directions.

Staff Name & Badge #–PRINT!SignatureDate
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sample Resident Examination for Donor Center

Reading Assignments:

  • Chapters 5-9:  Blood Donation and Collection in Technical Manual, 16th Edition
  • Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, AABB, 25th Edition

Study Questions:

  1. Which of the following candidates is acceptable for donation?
    1. Saudi, visited Sudan 11 months ago as part of National Guard exchange
    2. Saudi former student lived in UK for 2 years from 1993-95
    3. Normotensive taking amlodipine and valsartan
    4. Psoriatic using Tegison
    5. Male adult using ibuprofen for lower back pain
    6. Female 4 weeks post-partum
    7. Husband of patient with recent onset of hepatitis B infection
    8. Male stopped taking ampicillin one week ago for acute pharyngitis
    9. Donor with WBC count 12000/cmm but otherwise normal
  2. Which of the following donors is suitable for autologous donation?
    1. Cataract surgery patient
    2. Well, but had gastroenteritis 3 days ago
    3. Pregnant with Hgb 11 g/dl
    4. CGL patient with Hgb 13 g/dl
    5. Hodgkin’s disease patient Hgb 12 for exploratory laparotomy
    6. Patient with rare antibody anti-Tja, Hgb 13 for cholecystecomy
  3. How do you handle the following events?
    1. Donor draw fills bag with bright red blood in 30 seconds
    2. Donor faints when needle is shown
    3. Lipemic serum during donor plateletpheresis session
    4. Donor with numbness and tingling of extremities during donor apheresis session
  4. How would you handle the following therapeutic phlebotomy requests?
    1. Hgb 22 g/dl, suspected polycythemia rubra vera
    2. Hgb 13, suspected hemochromatosis patient
    3. Hgb 16, renal failure patient post-erythropoietin treatment
    4. Unstable angina, Hgb 9
  5. What is the final volume of each of the following blood components?
    1. Whole blood
    2. Packed RBCs—state hematocrit as well
    3. Washed RBCs
    4. Irradiated packed cells
    5. Platelet pool—state number of platelets
    6. FFP
    7. Cryo-poor plasma
    8. Cryoprecipitate
  6. What are the outdates of each of the following components?
    1. Packed RBCs
    2. Platelet pool
    3. FFP frozen at -35C
    4. Granulocyte concentrate
  7. Which donor units are acceptable for transfusion?
    1. HBsAg negative, HBcAb positive, HBsAb > 20 IU/liter
    2. HCV Ab positive, RIBA-3 negative, HCV-RNA negative
    3. Syphilis positive, FTA-ABS negative

Revised:

29/8/20

Processes and Software Building 40: Reveos Detailed Settings

A major advantage in using a specific blood bank computer software is to enforce the Good Manufacturing Processes.  Medinfo is merciless:  there are no exceptions without authorization and that is restricted by the security policies.

The following tables show the values established at HMC Doha during my tenure.  These values were recommended by the Terumo BCT Reveos engineer after his direct, hands-on set-up of the equipment.

The minimum and maximum volumes for platelets are specifically designed to work for pooling the buffy coats before Mirasol pathogen inactivation.  There are different settings for platelets suspended in plasma versus those suspended in platelet additive solution PAS.

Similarly, there are specific volume ranges for plasma so that pathogen inactivation can be performed according to Terumo BCT recommendations.

To Be Continued:  4/9/20

Processing and Software Building 39: Atreus and Reveos

Automated component processing is an almost hands-free separation of into packed RBCs (ready for leukodepletion), buffy coat platelets (ready for pooling), leukodepleted plasma, and a residual buffy coat.  The older Atreus device takes about 10 minutes for one whole blood unit whereas the newer Reveos device needs slightly more than 20 minutes to process four whole blood units.  At the end of processing:

  1. RBCs are ready for leukodepletion using the integral filter provided with the kit.
  2. Plasma is ready for pathogen-inactivation and freezing.
  3. Buffy coat platelets are ready for pooling using the Platelet Yield Index PYI.
    1. Further processing (filtration and Mirasol treatment) occurs if the donor marker testing results pass
  4. Residual buffy coat is not a clinical product but may be used for quality control for stem cell processing and/or cell line expansion

The process in Medinfo is as follows:

  1. Receive the whole blood units for processing by reading the ISBT specimen barcode.
  2. Collection data (volume, time to complete collection, time of collection, etc.) is transferred to the component processor.
  3. Select the processing machine:  Atreus vs. Reveos
  4. Select the protocol:  2C (RBCs and plasma) versus 3C (RBCs, platelets, and plasma)
  5. Further processing as per the flow diagrams.

At HMC Doha, Medinfo developed the first bidirectional interfaces to both Reveos and Atreus.

To Be Continued

2/9/20

Advanced Hematology Resident Training in Donor Center and Apheresis

Objectives:

  1. Donor criteria based on AABB standards
    1. Is it safe for the donor to donate?
    2. Medical history
      1. Current medical conditions
      2. Past medical conditions
  2. Medications
  3. Vaccinations
  4. Travel history
  5. High-risk behaviors
  6. SARS/MERS
  7. COVID-19 convalescent plasma CCP
  8. Prion diseases
  9. Donor medical examination
  10. Is it safe for the recipient to receive the donor’s blood?
  11. Donor registration issues
    1. Positive identification
    2. Donor deferral database
  12. Donor phlebotomy
    1. Safe volume to donate
    2. Anticoagulant-preservative solutions
    3. Time limit for phlebotomy
    4. Post-donation care
  13. Donor reactions—Dx and Rx of the following:
    1. Vasovagal
    2. Seizures
    3. Air embolism
    4. Arterial stick
    5. Hematoma
  14. Donor Apheresis
    1. Plateletpheresis
    2. Plasmapheresis
    3. Plateletpheresis with concurrent plasma collection
    4. RBC collection
    5. Combined platelet, plasma, and RBC collection
  15. Autologous donation
    1. Predeposit
    2. Perioperative
    3. Intraoperative
    4. Postoperative
  16. Donor self-deferral
  17. Therapeutic Phlebotomy
  18. Therapeutic Apheresis
    1. Therapeutic plasma exchange/plasmapheresis
    2. Leukapheresis
    3. Thrombapheresis
    4. Red cell exchange
    5. Stem cell collection
    6. Column absorption technologies
    7. Clinical indications
    8. Writing orders for above procedures
  19. Component Processing:
    1. Manual
    2. Automated—Reveos
    3. Pathogen Inactivation Mirasol
    4. Buffy coat vs classic platelet-rich plasma platelets and pools
    5. Platelet Additive Solution PAS
    6. FFP, FP24, thawed plasma
    7. Cryoprecipitate
    8. Cryo-poor plasma (plasma, cryoprecipitate-removed)
    9. COVID-19 convalescent plasma CCP

Clinical Responsibilities (after proven competence):

  1. Triage of donor requests
  2. Handling of donor reactions
  3. Approval of therapeutic phlebotomies
  4. Assistance with therapeutic apheresis

Assessments:

  1. Pre-training/baseline
  2. Competency documentation for clinical responsibilities (#11 above)
  3. Post-training

Working Hours:

  1. 0900-1700, Saturday through Wednesday
  2. Must carry pager for clinical responsibilities

Reviewed 17/8/20

Processes and Software Building 38: Component Processing Overview

As with each major area of Transfusion Medicine, a current state is captured.  From this, a future state overview is then developed.

At this time, the client should study his current state and the future state and see how he can bolster the critical control points and build them into the processes.

In this series of posts, we will consider:

  1. Component production by Reveos automated component processing
  2. Component production by Atreus automated component processing—replaced by Reveos
  3. Manual component processing
  4. RBC leukodepletion
  5. Platelet pooling
  6. Mirasol pathogen inactivation for platelets and plasma
  7. Platelet production with platelet additive solution PAS
  8. Cryoprecipitate and cryo-poor plasma production
  9. Labelling

The example of current and future state shown is what Medinfo and I built for HMC Doha:

To Be Continued

1/9/20

Basic Hematology Fellowship Rotation in Transfusion Medicine

Objectives:

  1. Donor Center
    1. Donor eligibility criteria
    2. Whole blood collection
    3. Donor apheresis (platelets, plasma, dual-RBC)
    4. Donor reactions
  2. Therapeutic Apheresis
    1. Plasma exchange
    2. Leukocyte reduction—stem cell collection
    3. Reductive thrombapheresis
    4. RBC exchange
    5. Column-absorption procedures including phototherapy
  3. Component Preparation
    1. Preparation and release issues
  4. Transfusion Service:
    1. Blood component therapy
    2. RBC blood groups
    3. Compatibility Testing
    4. Antibody Identification and clinical significance
    5. Transfusion reactions
    6. Direct antiglobulin test clinical significance
    7. Drug-related hemolysis

Venue:

TMS Donor and Transfusion Services

Conducted by:  Head, TMS, and senior TMS technical staff

Evaluation:

Discussion of topics with TMS Head and written final examination

Source Materials:

  1. Technical Manual, AABB
  2. Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, AABB
  3. Apheresis, Principles and Practice, AABB

This is a full-time, one-month rotation—attendance in mandatory.  Vacations should NOT be taken during this rotation.

Originally Prepared for NGHA Riyadh 31/3/09

Reviewed 26/8/20