Stat! How EvergreenHealth's Transfusion Service Lab Makes Seconds Count

Delays aren't an option when a patient needs blood. Whether it's a severe injury from trauma, a cancer patient with low blood counts or a new mother experiencing life-threatening complications from childbirth, when a medical team makes the call to the blood bank, every second counts.

Thanks to a unique partnership with local blood center Bloodworks Northwest, when EvergreenHealth providers make that call, it's answered in a lab downstairs instead of a building on the other side of Lake Washington.

A Blood Bank in the Hospital

That's because EvergreenHealth Kirkland is home to one of just three Transfusion Service Labs (TSLs) in Washington state. Staffed by Bloodworks Northwest technicians, the EvergreenHealth TSL performs patient blood testing and crossmatching, a crucial final test to ensure donated blood will not cause an adverse reaction for the patient.

All hospitals keep a stockpile of blood for emergencies and normal patient care, but having these services on-site makes the process of procuring blood faster, safer and more streamlined. When a patient arrives at the EvergreenHealth Emergency Department, that speed and proximity make all the difference.

Preserving a Precious Community Resource

"You couldn't get blood as quickly before," said Dr. Kevin Hanson, EvergreenHealth Emergency Department Executive Medical Director. "I think having the transfusion service lab on-site has cut the time to get blood to patients in half, and we waste fewer blood products because they do the testing and can get the units to us more quickly. That's better for the community, and it affects patients' outcomes too."

Nowhere is that speed and precision more critical than in severe trauma, maternal hemorrhage and other cases with significant blood loss. In these situations, hospitals may initiate a Massive Transfusion Protocol which designates specific roles for medical team members to ensure care and the rapid delivery of critical blood products. In just ten minutes, the skilled technicians at the EvergreenHealth TSL can deliver a pack of six units each of red cells and plasma and one unit each of platelets and cryoprecipitate, a component derived from plasma that's rich in clotting factors and is used for patients experiencing blood hemorrhage.

An off-site lab would take much longer – time that a patient might not have.

"Those are the sickest patients you can imagine," Dr. Hanson said. "I can get the resources and blood products I need quickly so I'm thinking about their clinical care, not worrying if I can get two more units of fresh frozen plasma or red cells."

For Dr. Hanson, having the transfusion service lab on-site is a natural extension of the EvergreenHealth mission: "Not every hospital needs an on-site blood bank, but as a level three trauma center, as a stroke center and as a large OB facility, we need blood products in house to be able to take care of our patients. Having the blood bank on-site has expanded the capabilities of EvergreenHealth, and that's what our community needs."

Every Two Seconds: A Community Call to Action

January is National Blood Donor Month, and according to Bloodworks Northwest, our region needs 1,000 blood donors every day to meet our communities' needs. The need is real – every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood to survive, and one in three people will need it at some point in their lives. Blood donation impacts everyone, so please schedule a donation today.