Blood ordering practices in obstetric units in the United Kingdom

A postal questionnaire on blood ordering practices and blood availability was sent to 89 randomly selected maternity units within the United Kingdom. The replies demonstrated a wide variation in crossmatching practices. Of those units that replied, 56% crossmatch for elective and 64% for emergency C...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnaesthesia Vol. 48; no. 11; p. 998
Main Authors Clark, V A, Wardall, G J, McGrady, E M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.11.1993
Subjects
Blood Banks
Blood Grouping and Crossmatching
Blood Transfusion - statistics & numerical data
Cesarean Section
Female
Humans
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital - organization & administration
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications - surgery
Specimen Handling
Time Factors
United Kingdom
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Summary:A postal questionnaire on blood ordering practices and blood availability was sent to 89 randomly selected maternity units within the United Kingdom. The replies demonstrated a wide variation in crossmatching practices. Of those units that replied, 56% crossmatch for elective and 64% for emergency Caesarean section, 54% for manual removal of placenta, and 29% for fetal distress in labour. The remainder 'group and screen' for these indications. Lack of 24 h cover by a resident haematology technician, and location of blood banks distant to the obstetric unit were associated with significant delays in blood availability. More extensive use of the 'group and screen' technique may reduce unnecessary crossmatching without jeopardizing patient safety, and is advocated for maternity units.
ISSN:0003-2409
1365-2044
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2044.1993.tb07483.x