In: Biology
Would a reference laboratory get involved with a transfusion reaction work up?
By definition a reference laboartory is a laboratory set-up that receives a specimen from another laboratory ( usuallymany hospital laboratories) and that performs one or more tests on such specimen, for cross-checking reports and to assure quality report generation by other laboratories.
Transfusion reactions require immediate recognition, laboratory investigation, and clinical management. Acute transfusion reactions present as adverse signs or symptoms during or within 24 hours of a blood transfusion. The signs occurring in temporal relationship with a blood transfusion, such as severe shortness of breath, red urine, high fever, or loss of consciousness may be the first indication of a more severe potentially fatal reaction. There may not be that much of time to make the patient survive if no prompt action has been taken.
In acute hemolytic reactions, the diagnostic workup includes the following without any delay:
Visual inspection of the recipient's plasma and urine
Retyping of donor and recipient red blood cells (RBCs)
Direct antiglobulin (Coombs) testing
All of these can be done in a hospital laboratory or even bed side set-up. As the promptness is the utmost necessity in this scenario there won't be any time to send blood specimen to reference laboratory, and wait for their opinion.
So, usually reference laboratory need not get to involve with a transfusion reaction work up, unless it is working simultaneously as a clinical hospital laboratory, which is a rare occurance.
Thanks for asking.