News
Retirement of RTC Vice Chair
Dr Jane Keidan has retired from her role as Consultant Haematologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn and so has stepped down from her position as Vice Chair of the RTC and RTT. Jane has always been a strong supporter of the RTC and we are very grateful for her considerable input over the years. We all wish her a very happy retirement. Claire Atterbury, Transfusion Practitioner at QEH King’s Lynn and Chair of the East of England Transfusion Practitioners Network, takes over as Vice Chair of the RTC/RTT.
Forthcoming events
“Become a Blood Boffin”, a study day for biomedical scientists of other disciplines who will be undertaking out of hours work in transfusion laboratories is to be held at St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge on 12th June. Flyer, programme and application form can be found on the calendar.
“It’s in the Bag! Updates on the Use of Components” will be held on 19th September 2013 at Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre. This event, which we hope will appeal to all hospital staff with an interest in transfusion, will cover particular challenges for certain patient groups, such as renal and haematology patients; new oral anti-coagulants; TACO and strategies to avoid transfusion. A flyer, programme and application form are available on the calendar.
For further information on either event, please contact Jane O'Brien
Massive blood loss in trauma patients
The East of England RTC and East of England Trauma Network have agreed a protocol for dealing with massive haemorrhage in trauma patients (pdf 534KB). Hospitals are welcome to add relevant phone numbers to the version on page 2 of the pdf and display laminated copies of the protocol.
Transfer of blood
The East of England RTC has produced regional guidelines on the transfer of blood with patients (pdf 20KB) and accompanying blood and components transfer forms (Word doc 276KB). These were derived from the national document.
Management of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn has developed guidance for the management of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy and childbirth (pdf 152KB) which has considerably reduced the need for transfusion in the Obstetric and Gynaecology department. Presentations on this procedure at the 'Mums, Babies and Blood' study days for midwives in 2010 and 2011 generated a great deal of interest. The Regional Transfusion Team feel that this is an example of good practice and staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital are happy to share their guidance. For further reading on the subject see the UK Guidelines on the Management of Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy (pdf 272KB) produced by the British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH).
Audit of incidents of massive haemorrhage
The RTC has agreed a minimum dataset (Word doc 128KB) for the audit of incidents of massive haemorrhage. This will ensure that relevant comon factors are audited across the region's hospitals and will allow for collation of data. It will also help determine the level of compliance with the NPSA Rapid Response Report. Hospitals may, of course, add further data for their own audits.
Infrequently asked questions
These questions and answers were compiled by the Better Blood Transfusion team.
Nurse authorising guidelines
Two sets of guidelines for the authorisation of red cells and platelets by nurse authorisers caring for adult haematology and oncology patients can be found on the North East RTC policies page.
Terminology defined
This terminology resource file (pdf 1.41MB) explaining abbreviations and medical terminology related to blood components was compiled by the Northern Assistant Transfusion Practitioner Group in January 2011 and revised in July 2012.
Sharing ideas
Queen Elizabeth Hospital at King's Lynn is happy to share its algorithm for handling inappropriate requests for blood and the Transfusion Laboratory at Bedford Hospital has produced posters on the adverse reactions to transfusion and contingency plans for blood shortages. Please contact Jane O'Brien for copies or if you have resources you feel may be of benefit to colleagues in other hospitals.
We aim to make your local RTC site the first place you think of looking online for transfusion related information. It is divided into these five areas:
If you have material you would like published here please contact Jane O’Brien or Aman Dhesi the East of England RTC website representatives. If you have ideas about other information you would like to see on the RTC site please contact Sheena Cameron, Website Development Manager.
