Immunohematology Boot Camp: Drug-Induced Immune Hemolytic Anemia (26EL-612)

Please note: AABB reserves the right to make updates to this program.

• Educational Track: Technical/Clinical
• Topics: Blood Donation & Collection, Patient Transfusion
• Intended Audience: Hospital Blood Banks, Immunohematology Reference Labs (IRL’s), Laboratory Staff, Managers/Supervisors, Medical Directors, Physicians, Residents/Fellows, Scientists, Students (MD, MT, SBB), Technologists
• Teaching Level: Basic, Intermediate

• Director/Moderator: Laura Staller, MHA, MLS(ASC)^CM, Manager, Customer Ready Products, NMDP, Minneapolis, MN
  Speakers:

  • Sue T. Johnson, MSTM, MLS(ASCP)SBB^CM, Director, Clinical Education & SBB Program, Versiti Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
  • Maddie Konicek, MLS(ASCP)^CMSBB^CM, Team Lead Scientist, Immunohematology Reference Laboratory, Versiti Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

• Program Description

  Drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia (DIIHA) is a rare but potentially serious cause of hemolysis that can be difficult to recognize in clinical practice. Accurate diagnosis requires close collaboration among hospital blood bank laboratories, immunohematology reference laboratories, and the clinical team responsible for patient management.

  This immunohematology boot camp will review the pathophysiology and serologic features of DIIHA and discuss current laboratory testing approaches used to identify drug-dependent antibodies. Through case-based discussion and practical examples, the session will highlight how laboratory professionals, reference laboratory experts, and physicians work together to interpret serologic findings, evaluate medication histories, and determine the role of drug exposure in hemolytic events. Participants will gain practical insight into how coordinated communication across the transfusion medicine team supports timely diagnosis and appropriate clinical management of patients with suspected DIIHA.

  Learning Objectives

  After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the serologic findings associated with drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia (DIIHA) and their relevance to laboratory and clinical evaluation.
  • Differentiate drug-dependent antibodies from warm or cold autoantibodies using available laboratory testing methodologies.
  • Identify commonly implicated drugs and explain the importance of correlating medication history, timing, and dosage with laboratory findings.
  • Explain the pathophysiology of DIIHA and how it informs diagnostic testing and clinical decision-making.
  • Discuss how hospital laboratories, immunohematology reference laboratories, and clinicians collaborate to investigate suspected DIIHA and support patient management.

  Registration

  Please note: registration for the live eCast is now closed. Registration is available for the on-demand eCast. If you registered for the live eCast you do not need to register for the on-demand eCast (access to the on-demand eCast was included with the live eCast registration).

  Single Viewer	Register
  Group Viewing	Register

  Continuing Education Credit

  This activity is eligible for one (1) continuing education credit/contact hour for Physicians, California Nurses, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. AABB reserves the right to reduce or increase the number of credits granted based on the final activity duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our Continuing Education Credits webpage.

  There is no financial support for this activity.

  

  In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), which is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  Physicians (ACCME): AABB designates this live activity for a maximum of one (1) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. AABB designates this enduring activity for a maximum of one (1) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  Claiming Credit
  Live Activity - Upon completion of the live activity, you will receive instructions to complete your evaluation, which is necessary to claim credit and receive your certificate of attendance/completion (credit must be claimed by the date provided in the instructions). The evaluation can be found by logging into the AABB Education Platform.

  Enduring Activity - Once the enduring (on-demand) program is available, you will receive instructions to access the AABB Education Platform. Upon completion of viewing the enduring activity, you will need to complete the evaluation, which is necessary to claim credit and receive your certificate of completion (credit must be claimed by the date provided in the AABB Education Platform).

  Program & Credit Expiration Dates:

  • Live Activity Program Date: March 11, 2026; Credit Expiration Date: April 11, 2026
  • Enduring Activity Program Dates: March 11, 2026 – March 10, 2029; Credit Expiration Date: March 10, 2029

  Disclosure Declaration

  It is the policy of the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of its CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. AABB has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that the presence of such relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.

  Disclosures for the planners of this event can be found here. Disclosures for the program faculty, peer reviewers, and AABB personnel are provided at the beginning of the program.

  Faculty Biographies

  Sue Johnson, MSTM, MLS(ASCP)SBB^CM is Director of Clinical Education and the SBB program at Versiti and Director of the Transfusion Medicine Program at Marquette University and a Clinical Associate Professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Health Science. Prior to this, she worked in the Immunohematology Reference Laboratory for over 25 years developing a special interest in drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia. Sue has been actively involved in AABB serving on many committees. Sue has authored numerous publications in the field of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology including Judd's Methods in Immunohematology and Blood Banker Favorites: A Collection of Best Recipes for Blood Sample Preparation. She has also had the honor of being an associate editor of the 20th and 21st edition of the AABB Technical Manual.

  Maddie Konicek is a Team Lead Scientist in the Immunohematology Reference Lab at Versiti Wisconsin. She has previously worked for Children's Wisconsin and Duke University Hospital in the Transfusion Services department before transferring to the IRL in 2013. Continuing on the path of transfusion medicine, Maddie obtained her SBB certification in 2014 and has worked on many projects within the lab including both serology and molecular based assays. Her interests include ABO sequencing and teaching MLS and SBB students in complex antibody identifications.

  Laura Staller is a Medical Laboratory Scientist overseeing Customer Ready Products at NMDP. She began her career in the immunohematology reference laboratory at Bonfils Blood Center in Denver, CO. Her strong interest in blood centers led to her St. Paul, MN, and the donor testing laboratory at Memorial Blood Centers where she oversaw a team of skilled technicians in a high-volume infectious disease laboratory. She is now focused on cellular therapies at NMDP where she collaborates with cell therapy laboratories to extend their cryopreservation and specialty processing capabilities to transplant centers and leads the operational aspects of the cord blood program. Laura holds a Master of Healthcare Administration from Ohio University.