Blood Transfusion in the Perioperative Environment

The perioperative patient may require copious quantities of blood products very quickly. For this reason, the OR may request that a patient be crossmatched to multiple units of blood prior to a surgical incision being made. Depending on the institution, this blood may be:

1. Kept in the blood bank on reserve for the specific patient and collected at a moment’s notice;
2. Brought to an OR blood bank refrigerator that is close to the OR environment for quick access;
3. Kept in a cooler in the patient’s room so that it can be quickly accessed.

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Checking Blood Products

The perioperative nurse assists the anesthesia provider in ordering and checking blood products as per hospital protocol. All information must be confirmed by two healthcare professionals and includes verification of at least the following:

1. That unique patient identifier on the product dispensing labels matches those of the patient for whom the product is intended.
2. That there is ABO and Rh compatibility between the product and the patient, if applicable. This depends on the product.
3. That unique product identifiers match those of the transfusion tag/label.
4. That the product has not expired.
5. That the product is free of clots, and clumps, and is not discoloured.

If there are any discrepancies, the blood product must be returned to the blood bank immediately.

(ORNAC, 2021)

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🧩 Practice Activity

Complete the activity by dragging the object into a drop zone. Select “Check” when you feel confident in your answer(s).

What belongs in the cooler?