At the UOS Transfusion Service P.O. of Cassino, blood collection is carried out, including self-donation and specific programs for patients with blood diseases who need diagnostic services and outpatient therapeutic interventions.
Services / Activities provided
The following services are guaranteed at the Outpatient Clinic:
- transfusion therapy;
- blood therapy;
- parenteral martial therapy;
- pre-deposit for self-donation;
- preparation/application Platelet gel (in activation).
Transfusion Medicine Outpatient Clinic
Patients with non-acute pathologies can benefit from the following services on an outpatient basis:
- specialist visits to Transfusion Medicine;
- blood component transfusions;
- therapeutic salves;
- infusions of drugs for the treatment of chronic anaemias;
- donations of autologous blood for autotransfusion.
Blood components distribution laboratory
The service includes the following activities closely related to the clinical aspects of the transfusion process:
- acceptance and assessment of the appropriateness of requests for blood components for transfusion therapy for inpatients, outpatients and home patients;
- selection, assignment and delivery of blood components relating to accepted requests within time intervals dependent on the medical assessment of clinical urgency (from immediate delivery of universally compatible blood component units to delivery within 24 hours of accepting the request);
- management of blood component stocks for the purpose of guaranteeing transfusion support in emergency-emergency conditions.
Blood and blood components donation
This sector guarantees the maximum and scrupulous protection of the donor, in the strictest compliance with Italian and European laws, regulations and transfusion recommendations.
The donation procedure includes the phases of acceptance of the donor, the execution of pre-donation examinations, medical examination, evaluation of suitability for donation and the amount of blood or blood components to be taken that best suits the characteristics of the donor. Blood is drawn in a closed, sterile, disposable system.
During the donation, the donor is assisted by the medical and nursing staff of the SIMT who provides all the information requested, monitors the progress of the donation, observes the onset of adverse reactions.
After the donation, there is a rest phase on the donation chair and a refreshment phase with the intake of solid and liquid foods.
The average time required to complete the entire donation process is between 30 and 60 minutes. Higher times can be determined by extraordinary inflows of donors for urgent-emergency situations. All Donors must present themselves with an identity document and health card/tax code.
Sange Collection for Self-Donation
Patients who are candidates for elective surgery and are at risk of transfusion support may donate their blood in the month prior to surgery, which will be stored at the Transfusion Service until needed.
The amount of blood that is collected is calculated based on the blood loss expected by the attending physician for the type of intervention planned.
The Transfusion Service Physician responsible for self-donation, defines the number of accesses necessary to collect the required amount of blood and provides clinical advice from the beginning to the end of the collection program.
Pre-deposited blood, possibly not transfused, is not usable for other patients.
The Service can also be accessed by patients residing in the provincial territory who must perform surgeries in other regional and extra-regional hospital facilities.
The self-donation program provides an average of 2 accesses over a period of 7 days. The time required for each self-donation procedure is approximately 30 minutes.
Immunohematology Laboratory
The Service performs tests suitable for the characterization of erythrocyte and platelet antigens (ABO/Rh blood groups, erythrocyte and platelet phenotypes). This analytical activity is the basis for the phenotypic characterization of patients and/or blood donors and blood components and constitutes the indispensable support for the following clinical activities:
- preoperative evaluation of patients who are candidates for surgery;
- transfusion therapy for inpatient, outpatient and home patients;
- diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune haemolytic anaemias;
- diagnosis and treatment of platelets;
- prevention and treatment of haemolytic disease of the newborn.
Response times are dependent on the type of analysis required as follows:
- erythrocyte immunohaematology analysis not related to blood transfusion (e.g. diagnostic determination of blood group): 24 hours;
- transfusion-related erythrocyte immunohaematology analysis (e.g. determination of erythrocyte irregular antibodies): from 30 minutes to 2 hours in relation to the degree of therapeutic urgency.
Days and times of receipt
- Blood components distribution laboratory: from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (holidays and shifts are supported by the SIMT of Frosinone);
- Transfusion Medicine Clinic: from Monday to Friday from 10.30 am to 2.00 pm;
- Donation of blood and blood components: from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 am to 10.00 am;
- Immunohaematology Laboratory: from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (holidays and shifts are supported by the SIMT of Frosinone);
- Blood collection for Self-Donation: from Monday to Saturday by reservation.
