Blood products

[IngyRN]

Is there some kind of formula to determine or estimate how many units required to meet a certain level.

for example how many units of prbc will bring up h/h 1 gram. how many units of ffp will lower inr by how many numbers?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I know that the hospital labs generally have a book called the AABB Technical Manual and there are loads of tables in that. Maybe you could borrow a copy if you have access. Otherwise, try a medical library or online for American Asso. of Blood Banks standards.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

It's so different for everyone there's no way to guess. I've seen patients not budge at all with one unit of red blood cells, and people go from 5 to 8 hgb with one unit. Platelets is where there's the extreme difference, though. Some people are "refractory" and don't respond at all to platelets, while other people will bump right up with one unit. We joke that they must have had "a good unit." Or that "what'd you do, mix some of your own blood in the recheck tube?"

We rarely give more than one unit at a time, usually only for hgbs below 6. For platelets it's always give a unit, recheck, give another unit, recheck, etc, etc, til they're above their parameter. Ocassionally people will have orders for no more than 2 units of platelets a day, as they're refractory and just can't use the transfusions.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

Here is the general rule of thumb....you wil find it to very accurate if you watch for this clinically. One unit of packed RBCs or unit of whole blood will raise the Hemoglobin by 1 and the Hematocrit by 3.

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

Here is the general rule of thumb....you wil find it to very accurate if you watch for this clinically. One unit of packed RBCs or unit of whole blood will raise the Hemoglobin by 1 and the Hematocrit by 3.

This is a little off the topic, but I'm curious because I wasn't aware that whole blood was currently being used for transfusions. What types of patients do you have that are receiving whole blood?

The blood bank I work for takes all the whole blood we collect and processes it into components.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

Whole blood is not used often,but is still available for use. It is still used for massive hemorrhage,trauma cases and in the OR as needed.