Organization of Transfusion Service and Blood Donors Bureau for average hospital

Abstract

T HE organization of a Transfusion Service and Brood Donors Bureau, which we describe in this report, is one which has been in successful operation at the MemoriaI HospitaI for the Iast six years. Prior to the deveIopment of our present system, there were severa reasons why the procedure of bIood transfusion did not have the fuI1 confidence of our Attending Staff. In the first pIace, a suitabIe donor couId not aIways be obtained in time to be of service in an emergency, and in any case, the procedure couId seIdom be scheduIed at a definite time with the assurance that a suitabIe donor wouId be avaiIabIe. Furthermore, severe posttransfusion reactions occurred with sufficient frequency to cause bIood transfusions to be regarded with some apprehension. The responsibiIity for these posttransfusion reactions was not definiteIy fixed, and therefore no direct steps were taken to determine the cause. Those who had selected the donor and performed the compatibiIity tests were aIways of the opinion that the technique of the transfusion itseIf was at fauIt, whiIe the surgeons were equaII7 certain that an error had been made m the compatibiIity tests. We are of the opinion that posttransfusion reactions are in most instances due to an incompatibiIity of the admixed bIoods, and rareIy to fauIty technique in the transfusion itseIf. ImmediateIy after the occurrence of a posttransfusion reaction, a determined effort shouId be made to track down the responsibIe error. The search shouId IogicaIIy begin at the most Iikely source of error, that is, the compatibiIity tests. These YORK