GUIDELINES FOR THE TRANSPORT OF BLOOD
COMPONENTS AND BLOOD PRODUCTS FROM
FACILITY TO FACILITY.
Provincial Blood
Coordinating Program
Guidelines for the Transport of Blood
Components and Blood Products from
Facility to Facility
1.0 Policy Statement
1.1
A policy shall be in place for the safe release, storage, packing and
transportation of blood components and blood products.
1.2
A policy shall be in place for when blood components and/or blood
products are transported with a patient.
1.3
A policy shall be in place for training personnel involved in the packing
and the transportation of blood components and blood products.
1.4
A policy shall be in place to maintain traceability of blood components
and blood products from the issuing facility to the final disposition at the
receiving facility.
2.0 Definitions
2.1
Compatibility Label/Tag: label or tag attached to a blood component
or product that has been designated for a specific recipient, specifying
information that identifies the blood component or blood product for that
recipient.
2.2
Shipping Containers: container used to transport blood components
and products.
2.3
Transfusion Medicine Laboratory: Hospital Blood Bank
2.4
Transportation: the shipment of blood components and/or blood
products from one facility to another.
3.0 General Information
3.1
Blood components and blood products with a specified storage
temperature of 1-6˚ C shall be maintained during transport at a
temperature of 1-10˚ C for no longer than 24 hours.
_______________________________________________________________________
This document may be incorporated into each Regional Policy/Procedure Manual.
NL2012-041
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 2012-08-17
Page 2 of 5
Provincial Blood
Coordinating Program
Guidelines for the Transport of Blood
Components and Blood Products from
Facility to Facility
3.2
Blood components or blood products with a specified storage
temperature of 20-24˚ C shall be transported at 20-24˚ C
3.3
Frozen blood components or blood products shall be maintained in the
frozen state.
3.4
Each shipping container shall be labelled identifying the:
3.4.1 Shipping facility
3.4.2 Receiving facility
3.4.3 That the contents are blood components and/or blood products.
3.5
All blood components and blood products being transported shall
include a packing slip which identifies:
3.5.1 The shipping facility
3.5.2 The receiving facility
3.5.3 Identification numbers and types of blood components and blood
products being shipped
3.5.4 Status of any quarantined blood components and blood products
being shipped
3.5.5 Total number of blood components or blood products
3.5.6 Date and time of shipping
3.5.7 Individual who packed the shipment
3.5.8 Unique number of the packing slip.
4.0 Quality Control
4.1
Regular assessments of the transportation process shall be completed to
ensure compliance with established policies.
4.2
Blood components and blood products shall be shipped in validated
shipping containers and transportation time shall not exceed the limit of
validated shipping containers.
4.3
The shipping containers are sealed with a security seal to ensure blood
components and/or blood products are secure during transport.
_______________________________________________________________________
This document may be incorporated into each Regional Policy/Procedure Manual.
NL2012-041
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 2012-08-17
Page 3 of 5
Provincial Blood
Coordinating Program
4.4
Guidelines for the Transport of Blood
Components and Blood Products from
Facility to Facility
When blood components and/or blood products accompany a patient the
shipping facility shall notify the receiving facility of the transport of
blood components and or blood products.
5.0 Process or Procedure
5.1
Do not open the shipping container until a blood component and/or
blood product is required for transfusion.
5.2
Break the shipping container seal by cutting the seal using heavy duty
scissors.
5.3
Remove only what is needed for transfusion.
5.4
Do not disturb the packing configuration (ice/gel packs, cardboard
inserts) of the remaining blood components and/or blood products.
5.5
Re-close the shipping container immediately. Ensure the shipping
container lid is on, flaps are closed and secure strap depending on the
shipping container used.
5.6
Complete the compatibility label/tag as each unit is transfused.
5.7
Once the shipping container seal is broken, there is no guarantee that the
remaining blood components and or products will remain within the
specified storage temperature for transportation.
5.8
Immediately upon arrival at the receiving facility, if the blood
components and or products are not required in the emergency room or
other care area send the shipping container of blood components and/or
blood products to the Transfusion Medicine Laboratory as per facility
policy.
5.9
When transfusion is complete place a copy of the compatibility label/tag
in the recipient’s medical record and return a copy to the Transfusion
Medicine Laboratory.
_______________________________________________________________________
This document may be incorporated into each Regional Policy/Procedure Manual.
NL2012-041
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 2012-08-17
Page 4 of 5
Provincial Blood
Coordinating Program
Guidelines for the Transport of Blood
Components and Blood Products from
Facility to Facility
6.0 Records Management
6.1
All transfusion records in the recipient’s medical chart shall be retained
in accordance with health care facility’s retention policy for medical
records.
6.2
Records of the final distribution of blood components and blood
products shall be retained indefinitely.
7.0 References
7.1
Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine. CSTM standards for
hospital transfusion service. Version 3.0. Ottawa: Canadian Society for
Transfusion Medicine; 2011.
7.2
Canadian Standards Association. Blood and blood components, Z90210.Mississauga (ON): Canadian Standards Association; 2010.
7.3
Manitoba Provincial Blood Programs Coordinating Office. Manitoba
transfusion medicine best practice resource manual for nursing. Version
1.Winnipeg (MB): Manitoba Provincial Blood Programs Coordinating
Office; June 2007.
_______________________________________________________________________
This document may be incorporated into each Regional Policy/Procedure Manual.
NL2012-041
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 2012-08-17
Page 5 of 5