Transfusion special requirements

Indications for special requirement protocols are summarised below (see form for detail):

Irradiation

• Time-limited indication around stem cell harvest and transplant.
• All Hodgkin lymphoma
• Following certain drugs: purine analogues, ATG/ALG, alemtuzumab (Campath)
• Some neonates.

CMV negativity

• Pregnancy
• Some neonates
• Selected stem cell transplant patients.

Other special requirements

• Prior to anti CD38 and CD47 antibody treatments
• Washed red cells (rarely)
• In major haemoglobinopathy patients, eg, sickle cell disease, B Thalassaemia major (not trait cases).

A form will be required to formalise this process and improve documentation.

This should be initiated by the medic adding the protocol and signed by the Haematology Consultant/SAS and the BTS lab, before it becomes available on SCI at completion.

• Special Requirements of Blood Transfusion Laboratory Request Form (NHS Highland intranet access required)
• Above form is also available via Formstream.

• Blood Assist website, in particular the section on 'Specific Requirements': www.bloodassist.co.uk/requirements
• British Society of Haematology guidelines, in particular Guidelines on the use of irradiated blood components (2020)

• BTS: Blood Transfusion Service
• SNBTS: Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
• CMV: cytomegalovirus
• ATG/ALG: anti-thymocyte/lymphocyte globulin (immune treatment for certain rare conditions)