Blood Bank

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 

1. Analyze the structure of the A, B, O, and H blood antigens and determine a person’s secretor status.

2. Discuss the Fisher-Race, Weiner, and Rosenfield nomenclature for the Rh blood system, the weak D concept, and the characteristics of Rh antibodies.

3. Discuss the antigens of the of the major blood group systems.

4. Discuss the concept of crossmatching blood: full crossmatch, immediate spin crossmatch, and electronic crossmatch.

5. List the different blood bank reagents, why they are used, and what they are used for.

6. Analyze why the indirect antiglobulin test is performed and what it detects.

7. Discuss how to identify antibodies using antibody identification panels, and how to interpret multiple antibodies from a single antibody identification panel.

8. Discuss adsorption and elutions procedures.

9. Discuss why a direct antiglobulin test is done and what it detects.

10. Analyze the disease mechanism of hemolytic disease of the newborn, how it can be detected, and what can be done to prevent it.

11. Discuss the rules for selecting donors, how to collect blood units, the concept of intraoperative salvage, and the concept of hemapheresis.

12. Discuss how to prepare, store, and ship blood components.

13. Discuss how blood components are used to treat patients.

14. Discuss how blood transfusions can lead to transfusion reactions, the different types of transfusion reactions, and how the lab investigates a transfusion reaction.

15. List the bloodborne pathogens that all units are tested for.

16. Discuss record keeping in blood banks and the FDA guidelines.