Blood Safety in the OR: The Bloody Truth
Keywords:
blood transfusion, blood safety, blood transfusion reactionsAbstract
Blood transfusions are lifesaving and life-sustaining treatments given to patients in many clinical areas of a hospital with a large proportion occurring in the Operating Room (OR).6 Transfusion related errors are rare events in the OR but they do occur and are often severe enough to cause patient morbidity and mortality.6 Therefore, care must be taken in all elements of the transfusion process. The purpose of this article is to build awareness around the potential for critical errors during the blood transfusion process in the OR and ways in improving the safety of blood transfusion for all surgical patients.
References
Annual SHOT Report. [Online].;
[cited 2015 March. Available
from: http://www.shotuk.org/wpcontent/
uploads/2012/07/SHOTANNUAL-
REPORT_FinalWeb
VersionBookmarked_201_06_ 22.pdf.
Fatalities Reported to FDA
Following Blood Collection and
Transfusion. Annual Summary for
Fiscal Year 2012. [Online].; 2012
[cited 2015 March. Available from:
BiologicsBloodVaccines/Safety/
Availability/ReportaProblem/
TransfusionDonationFatalities.
Canadian Blood Services. Krever
Report. [Online].; 1998-2015 [cited
April. Available from:
https://forms.blood.ca/CentreApps/
Internet/UW_V502_MainEngine.
nsf/page/FAQKrever?Open
Document #01.
ORBCoN. transfusionontario.org.
[Online].; 2014 [cited 2015.
Available from: http://transfusion
ontario.org/en/cmdownloads/
categories/bloody_easy/.
Callum, J., Lin, Y., Pinkerton, P.,
Karkouti, K., Pendergrast, J.,
Robitaille, N., Webert, K. Bloody
Easy 3. 3rd ed. Toronto: Ontario
Blood Coordinating Network;
Clifford, L, Jia, Q., Yadav, H.,
Subramanian, A., Wilson, G.,
Murphy, S. Pathak, J., Schroeder, D.,
Erecth, M., Kor,D. Anesthesiology.
[Online].; 2015. Available from:
http://anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.
org.
Popovsky MA. Transfusion
Reactions. 4th ed. Bethesda: AABB
press; 2012.
Stainsby D. ABO incompatible
transfusion-experience from the UK
Serious Hazards of Transfusion
(SHOT) scheme: Transfusions ABO
incompatible. Transfusion Clinique
et Biologique. 2005 November: p.
-388.
Maskens, C., Downie, H., Wendt
A., Lima A., Merkley L., Lin Y.,
Callum J. Hospital-based
transfusion error tracking from
to 2010: identifying the key
errors threatening patient
transfusion safety. Transfusion.
January: p. 66-73.
Liu, D., Grundgeiger, T., Sanderson,
P.M., Jenkins S.A., Leane T.A.
Interruptions and blood transfusion
checks: lessons from the simulated
operating room. Anesthesia and
analgesia. 2009 January: p. 219-
Runy L. Patient Safety in the
Operating Room. Hospitals &
Health Networks. 2007 March: p.
Makary, M.A., Sexton J.B.,
Freischlag, J.A., Holzmueller, C.,
Millman E.A., Rowen, L.,
Pronovost, P. Operating Room
Teamwork among Physicians an
Nurses: Tearmwork in the Eye of the
Beholder. Journal of the American
College of Surgeons. 2006: p.
-752.
Fung MK, Grossman BJ, Hillyer CD,
Westhoff CM. AABB Technical
Manual. 18th ed. Fung MK, editor.
Bethesda: AABB Press; 2014.
Beyea S, Majewski C. Blood
transfusion in the OR-Are you
practicing safely? AORN Journal.
; 78(6).
Lima A. Bloody Easy Blood
Administration. 2nd ed. ORBCoN,
editor. Toronto: ORBCoN; 2015.
Ontario Transfusion Transmitted
Injuries Surveillance System.
Ontario TTISS Program Report
-2014. Program Report.
Toronto: 2016.
CSA Group. Z902-15 Blood and
blood components, 2015.
