Blood Bank Guy Essentials Podcast

One little amino acid makes all the difference in sickle cell disease! Dr. Eric Gehrie explains why sickle cell patients are so challenging for blood banks, specifically focusing on the huge problem of alloimmunization (making RBC antibodies) after transfusion.

Molecular (genetic) testing is everywhere in medicine today, and the blood bank is no exception! You don't have to be an expert geneticist to see how it all fits, however. Meghan Delaney joins me to present  7 practical uses for molecular testing in transfusion medicine .

For such a simple test, the Direct Antiglobulin ("Coombs") Test confuses the heck out of most every blood bank student, to say nothing of many clinicians! Sue Johnson is here to guide us to better understanding of this most excellent immunohematology test.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT), the disease with many names, continues to confound blood bankers everywhere! The conversation goes like this: "This baby has a low platelet count...is it NAIT?" Dr. Brian Curtis tells Dr. Chaffin how to take the right steps to find the answer, both in the real world and the exam world.

Jeff Winters described the essentials of therapeutic apheresis in BBGuy Essentials 025. He is back today to address how to use those principles to treat Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, or "TTP." This terrifying disease, caused in adults primarily by a deficiency of an enzyme with a funny name, "ADAMTS13", can be rapidly fatal if not promptly diagnosed and treated.

It is very common for trainees and practitioners of Transfusion Medicine to have low levels of comfort and experience with therapeutic apheresis procedures. It just "feels" complicated! Fortunately for us, Dr. Jeff Winters, editor of the  Journal of Clinical Apheresis , past president of the American Society for Apheresis, and director of the very busy therapeutic apheresis service at Mayo Clinic,...

Dr. Will Savage from Harvard University joins Dr. Chaffin to discuss Allergic Transfusion Reactions (ATRs). Allergic reactions have become pretty widely known as "nuisance reactions" to blood bankers and clinical staff, and it's easy to think that we understand them. Dr. Savage and colleagues have shown in numerous recent publications, however, that we don't yet fully "get it" with ATRs. He opens...

Dr. Jeff Carson is lead author of the 2016 AABB RBC Transfusion Threshold Guidelines published online in JAMA in October 2016. This article updates the 2012 AABB Guidelines, and incorporates lots of new information from recently published studies. He joins Dr. Chaffin to discuss how to use these guidelines in everyday practice.

Red blood cells, in most countries, can be stored for up to 42 days. In the last ten years, there have been numerous observational studies suggesting that "older" blood may be harmful to recipients. In one of my favorite interviews, Nancy Heddle, lead author of the INFORM study ( NEJM Oct 24, 2016) tells us why we shouldn't worry!

Despite having possibly the silliest acronym in the history of medicine (in Dr. Chaffin's opinion!), TACO is a very serious disease. It is responsible for the second-most number of deaths from transfusion every year in the United States (and is #1 in the United Kingdom). TACO is not something to mess around with, but far too many clinicians and blood bankers fail to give it the respect it deserves...

Most would agree that today's transfusions are really safe from potential infectious disease transmission. There are still a few situations that worry blood bankers, like the risk of bacterial contamination of platelets (despite our best efforts) and emerging infections like Zika virus. One potential solution to these issues is called "pathogen inactivation" (also called pathogen reduction by many...

Cryoprecipitate is easily the most misunderstood blood product, and lots of confusion surrounds it (not just among clinical folks!). Dr. Chaffin and co-host Dr. Heidi Shafi give you five "Essentials" of cryoprecipitate to set record straight!

Many, many clinicians routinely order premedication of their patients with acetaminophen and diphenhydramine before transfusion, believing that using those medications will prevent allergic and febrile transfusion reactions, respectively. Maybe not! Dr. Heidi Shafi discusses the available data that says that this practice may not make sense.

It's easy to push the panic button when a suspected transfusion reaction occurs! Blood bank doctors and lab scientists interact with clinical staff more than at any other time when dealing with suspected and confirmed transfusion reactions. Dr. Mark Fung from University of Vermont (editor of the AABB Technical Manual ) takes us through a detailed look at how to manage these situations calmly and s...

In July 2016, I updated you on the current U.S. strategy on preventing Zika transmission by blood. As expected, things have changed, and this is a short update to let you know what is happening as of September 2016.

Plasma transfusion is not as easy as it sounds! Over half of transfusions have been shown to be unnecessary. Dr. Jeannie Callum from Toronto joins Dr. Chaffin for this extensive discussion designed to dispel some myths and show you how it SHOULD be!

Talk of Zika virus has been all over the news for months, and especially so in the last few days of July 2016. Dr. Chaffin and co-host Dr. Heidi Shafi take a look at how the identification of local transmission of Zika in South Florida impacts blood donation and transfusion in the United States.

Dr. Emily Volk from the Baptist and Tenet Health Systems joins Dr. Chaffin to discuss Patient Blood Management (PBM). It seems like everyone today is talking about PBM, from hospital administrators to clinicians to laboratory scientists to pathologists. This episode is a big picture look at some things to consider when thinking about implementing or improving a PBM program. Dr. Volk has been a par...

Joined by my new "Ask the BBGuy" co-host, Dr. Heidi Shafi, I take a detailed look at Transfusion-associated Graft-vs-Host Disease (TA-GVHD). This transfusion complication is by far one of the most dangerous, fatal in over 90% of cases. I start from the basics and outline the details of TA-GVHD, and discuss the implications of a game-changing 2015 article on the topic.

In transfusion medicine, infants and children are NOT just "little adults!" Dr. Cassandra Josephson joins Dr. Chaffin to discuss 5 things you should know about pediatric transfusion today!

Drug-induced Immune Hemolytic Anemia challenges both established blood bankers and beginners alike! It's tough, but Pat Arndt from American Red Cross Southern California joins Dr. Chaffin in a conversation to outline the basics and give you a way to understand how drugs and antibodies and red cells interact. 

Since U.S. FDA approval of the multiple myeloma drug with the funny name, "daratumumab," in late 2015, blood bankers have had a lot to learn and still can be confused about the drug's effect on testing. Dr. Kaufman is an international expert on this topic, and he helps clear the mysteries of DARA with practical strategies you can learn right away!

Dr. Kristine Krafts from the University of Minnesota and pathologystudent.com joins Dr. Chaffin to discuss her "Top Five Tips to Make Your Next Presentation Awesome!" Great presentations don't just happen. They take planning, preparation, and practice. If you want your next lecture to be great, Dr. Krafts shares five very practical tips for setting yourself up for success as a presenter!

Dr. Kevin Land from Blood Systems International joins Dr. Chaffin for an interesting and sometimes hilarious look at common blood bank beliefs, including viral disease risk, O-negative blood use, transfusion and mortality, and "young vs. old" blood.

Dr. Minh-Ha Tran from University of California Irvine joins Dr. Chaffin to discuss the "Who, Where, What, Why, When, and How of Massive Transfusion!" Dr. Tran offers tons of great tips, data, and discussions. See example slides on BBGuy.org.