The Blood Bank Laboratory at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital supports the transfusion needs for a highly complex patient population (Hemolytic Auto Immune Disorders, ABO-incompatible heart transplants, patients placed on Emergency-Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, ABO incompatible stem cell transplants, solid organ transplants, and level 1 trauma). It is FDA registered, and accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and College of American Pathologists,
Lurie Children’s Blood Bank Laboratory and the American Red Cross established a Blue Tie Tag Program to provide better matching of red blood cells for Sickle Cell Disease patients, thereby reducing the number of adverse transfusion events.
Computerized Physician Order Entry is used to order all blood components, emergency uncrossmatched blood components, and adverse transfusion workups. Transfusion criteria are included in every blood component order to ensure every transfusion is appropriate. Decision Support Tools and Blood Product Alerts are built into blood order entries to support and guide the physicians in the blood order process. The Hospital Information System is interfaced with the Laboratory Information System automating the process for requesting, and distributing blood components for transfusion.