Dr. Will Flanary is an ophthalmologist and stand-up comic who moonlights as the hilarious “Dr. Glaucomflecken” on social media. The Glaucomflecken videos have earned him an enormous worldwide following, as he has gently parodied physicians of many specialties (including pathology). He and his wife Kristin (aka "Lady Glaucomflecken") join me to shar…

Continuing Education episode! Understanding reference lab techniques like adsorption, elution, and enzymes feels like learning a new language! Jan Hamilton is here with an incredible teaching interview to help you learn to speak “reference lab.” This episode is eligible for FREE CME and Continuing Certification credit for physicians and P.A.C.E. co…

Continuing education episode! Advances in the practice of Transfusion Medicine happen regularly, and it can be difficult for both learners and those with more experience to keep up with the latest information. Further, many learners (and more “seasoned” types!) lack experience to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the evidence in the medical lite…

CE episode! To celebrate the 100th episode of Blood Bank Guy Essentials, Dr. Chaffin invites multiple previous guests (plus one brand new one!) to share brief "Pearls of Wisdom" with you. Learners of every level are sure to find Transfusion Medicine tips and tools to help care for patients in better ways. Thanks to all who have listened to this pod…

Rh Immune Globulin prevents at-risk moms from making anti-D, but calculating proper dose can be challenging. In fact, numerous reports have suggested that we mess this up a lot! This episode is a teaching session with me and one of the pathology residents at Loma Linda University, Jessica Hudson. In it, I try to simplify the calculations and discus…

Continuing education episode! If a research project has been going on for over 30 years, you would think it's probably pretty good, right? Well, that's how long the REDS research project, sponsored by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has been breaking new ground in Transfusion Medicine. The two co-chairs of the fourth phase,…

Continuing education episode! For decades, medical personnel have been aware of the technique of “Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution (ANH),” the collection of blood immediately before surgery followed by infusion near the end. Dr. Steve Frank and his colleagues in the Bloodless Medicine Program at Johns Hopkins believe ANH is an underutilized strategy…

Continuing education episode! Blood shortages happen, but the one associated with COVID-19 is unique (and severe!). AABB Chief Medical Officer Dr. Claudia Cohn explains why and gives practical survival tips. This episode is eligible for FREE CME and Continuing Certification credit for physicians and P.A.C.E. contact hours for laboratorians until Ma…

Continuing education episode! Plasma product names are confusing, but few are as misunderstood as Liquid Plasma. Dr. Chris Gresens explains why LP might be perfect for your transfusion service. This episode is eligible for FREE CME and Continuing Certification credit for physicians and P.A.C.E. contact hours for laboratorians until March 8, 2024 th…

Continuing education episode! When most United States-based healthcare providers think of a hemoglobinopathy, sickle cell disease is the first to come to mind. That is understandable, given how frequently that disease is present in the US. However, worldwide, the various forms of thalassemia are a MASSIVE problem. Dr. Sujit Sheth takes us through t…

Continuing education episode! Usually, red cell alloantibodies are simple (find an antibody, give antigen-negative blood), but occasionally, some of them don't follow the rules! "Antibodies of variable clinical significance" act differently in different patients, sometimes causing hemolysis and sometimes not. They can be very hard to manage, especi…

Platelets have been used to save the lives of patients with low platelet counts for decades. For the most part, they are considered a safe and effective means to correct the problem of a patient not having enough platelets of their own. Despite that, we have wondered for decades about whether or not platelets should be given to patients with certai…

In 2017, Dr. Mark Yazer appeared on this podcast to discuss the burgeoning interest in “Low-titer Group O Whole Blood (LTOWB)” for massive transfusions, particularly in trauma settings. Since then, more data and experience are available to guide the use of whole blood for trauma transfusion. Dr. Yazer updates us on the latest whole blood and incomp…

Despite guidance in a 2015 publication from international experts in immunohematology and transfusion medicine, many clinicians and laboratorians have yet to integrate RHD genotyping into routine practice when a patient’s RhD serologic typing is weaker than expected. In this interview, international immunohematology expert Sue Johnson shows us how …

Transfusion reactions that involve the heart and/or lungs, especially TACO and TRALI, are responsible for more transfusion deaths than any other entity. In this interview, Dr. Cserti-Gazdewich focuses on these two reactions and gives tips and strategies to identify, manage, and prevent them. NOTE: CE credit has expired for this episode.…

Warm autoantibodies have a well-deserved reputation as tough challenges, creating unfamiliar situations for both clinical and laboratory staff. I interviewed the authors of two recent papers that outlined best practices in this situation to gain some clarity and help!

Blood transfusion is less likely to transmit infections today than ever. Through a combination of screening questions, donor testing, and direct treatment of blood products, the vast majority of opportunities for transfusion-transmitted infections are eliminated. In this learner-focused interview, Dr. Suchi Pandey from Stanford outlines current str…

Every now and then, the routine practice of Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine gets intimidating. A difficult patient situation arises here, an impossible choice looms there. What do you do when there are no easy answers? Drs Mark Fung and Jay Hudgins are expert Transfusion Medicine practitioners who have years of experience dealing with these “sca…

Every now and then, when a transfusion service does a pretransfusion workup, they find that the patient's plasma is incompatible with EVERY other red cell! In other words, NOTHING is compatible! These situations are intimidating, and can lead to delays in transfusion. Dr. Jill Storry is an international immunohematology expert, and she shares pract…

Special episode! In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, does convalescent plasma from recovered patients offer fresh hope for those who are critically ill? The medical leaders of the two largest blood collectors in the US are here to help us work through the challenges and triumphs for COVID-19 convalescent plasma.…

Let’s be honest: Some hospital transfusion committee meetings feel like a waste of time! However, Dr. Carolyn Burns thinks transfusion committees are not hopeless! In this interview, she outlines her practical steps for building the perfect transfusion committee. She discusses how to recruit members, how to find “champions,” what to discuss and ana…

In this emergency episode, recorded on March 16, 2020, I discuss actions blood collectors and hospitals should be thinking of now to preserve the US blood supply, as well as a look at the global COVID-19 pandemic. We also briefly discuss convalescent plasma and its potential role.

The 32nd edition of AABB Standards became effective in April 2020. Rich Gammon, Chair of the BBTS Standards Committee, is here with the Top 10 changes you need to know! From blood donors to recipients, these changes will keep you in touch with best practices in Transfusion Medicine, even if your facility is not AABB-accredited. NOTE: CE credit has …

Those who oversee blood collection organizations wrestle constantly with two questions: “How can I keep my blood donors safe?” and “How can I keep the recipients of the blood we are collecting safe?” These twin responsibilities shape decisions and policies in blood donor centers worldwide. Dr. Mindy Goldman, Medical Director at Canadian Blood Servi…

With the FDA's 2019 publication of their Final Guidance on how to prevent patients from receiving platelet products contaminated with bacteria, it finally feels like pathogen reduction technology is about to "get real" in the United States! There was a time, though, that modern versions of pathogen reduction existed only in the minds of some really…