Your Patient Needs Rare Blood, Who Are You Going to Call?

Proposed Session Description: Patients who have become alloimmunized to red cell antigens require antigen negative blood products. In some cases, locating compatible red blood cell units may be difficult. The American Rare Donor Program (ARDP), a joint program of the AABB and the American Red Cross, maintains an inventory of rare donors with several categories of rare phenotypes. They also facilitate location of rare blood products for specific patient cases. Sometimes, the initial search for compatible units is not successful. In such cases, the ARDP hosts a conference call with the clinical and laboratory stakeholders from the hospital and blood center. These calls facilitate an exchange of information and experience during which options are discussed. In some cases, the parties involved may have never managed a case where no compatible blood was available. This session aims to walk physicians and laboratorians through several real-world cases where various options are discussed with audience participation, including presentation of the outcomes. This session will offer valuable knowledge that can be used by laboratorians and physicians in a possible future scenario where rare blood is needed.