AABB continues to work with facilities throughout the world on international hemovigilance efforts. Through its expert committees, AABB collaborates with government agencies and international organizations to establish and promote standard definitions related to transfusion reactions. Additionally, AABB committees develop education and support research to further the goals of hemovigilance.
A working group of the AABB Hemovigilance Committee developed four incident codes to assist in the recognition and reporting of instances of under-transfusion due to inventory. The codes, described in a recent report in Transfusion, are:
The sub-group is hopeful that adoption of these codes within the global hemovigilance system will help improve recognition and reporting of instances of under-transfusion due to inventory, thus supporting the development of better collection strategies and inventory management techniques, as well as effective policies to advance blood safety and availability.
Proposed incident codes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Healthcare Safety Network Biovigilance Component (NHSN).
| Process Code: No Blood (NB) Transfusion Service or Supplier Events that occur when the transfusion service or supplier is unable to meet request for transfusion orders within the critical time frame as defined by the institution and as appropriate to the clinical indication. | ||
| Incident Code | Description | Reason for proposal |
| NB 01 | Inventory less than usual par level due to supplier unable to meet usual steady demand. |
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| NB 02 | Demand for blood product exceeding usual par inventory levels. |
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| NB 03 | Incompatible/inappropriate units issued due to inventory constraints when demand for blood product exceeds usual par inventory levels. |
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| NB 04 | Suboptimal dose (less than optimal quantity) transfusion or no transfusion due to inventory constraints when demand for blood product exceeds usual par inventory levels. |
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Please check the resource section to access the publication.
The
AABB Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form is intended for use by hospitals and blood centers for communicating information about transfusion reactions to the blood supplier, particularly when there are multiple suppliers to the hospital transfusion
service. The form is intended to streamline the process for hospitals and provide complete information for blood suppliers when investigating transfusion reactions. The AABB Donor Hemovigilance Working Group and Hemovigilance Committee recently reviewed
and updated the form, after the end of a successful first year use.
Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form (Updated)
Common Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form FAQ
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The revised transfusion associated circulatory overload (TACO) definition (2018) developed and validated by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) working party on Haemovigilance in collaboration with the International Haemovigilance Network (IHN) and AABB, is now available online and results of the formal validation have been published (The Lancet Haematology, 2019). The revised definition is applicable to cases that occur up to 12 hours after transfusion. Combinations of signs and symptoms which can add up to meet the surveillance diagnostic criteria will help qualify cases where there may be no chest x-ray and/or record of elevated BNP concentrations as TACO. Notes on signs and symptoms and didactic table listing of key features has been added to assist in making diagnosis. The revision group emphasizes that the chief priority is to adopt standard reporting criteria, which will enable professionals to raise awareness of TACO and lead to improved reporting, research and reduction of transfusion complications.
Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) Definition (2018)
AABB Quick Reference Guide for NHSN Hemovigilance Module: Adverse Reaction Definitions (Updated)
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