Transfusion Medicine
Laboratory Components
Transfusion medicine includes:
- Blood crossmatching and preparation of blood components.
- Donor room for collection of whole blood and platelets.
- Histocompatibility laboratory to support the hospital's transplantation services.
- Active transfusion medicine consultation service to evaluate patients with special transfusion needs, such as therapeutic plasma exchange and cytapheresis.
Blood Bank
The blood bank performs diagnostic tests, but its main role is to see that blood products are administered safely and appropriately.
Products Issued
Products issued by the blood bank include:
- Packed red cells
- Fresh frozen plasma
- Platelets
Laboratory Statistics
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center performed over 100 transplants in recent years (including kidney, liver and pancreas). The Histocompatibility Laboratory performed approximately:
- 400 typings for HLA-A,B and C
- 300 typings for HLA-DR
- 300 compatibility tests
- 100 panel reactive antibody determinations
Molecular methods for HLA typing will be added to the laboratory's testing array in the near future.