Blood Systems, National Patient Antibody Registry collaborate to improve transfusion safety

Booth 412 at AABB CTTXPO, San Diego CA, Oct. 22-25, 2011

October 21, 2011, San Diego, CA—Blood Systems and National Patient Antibody Registry, LLC (NPAR LLC) today announced a 3-year preliminary agreement to provide the first fully automated, HIPAA-compliant database of patient red cell antibodies to hospitals served by United Blood Services, Blood Centers of the Pacific and Inland Northwest Blood Center.

The effort kicks off with a pilot program in early 2012.

“Hemolytic reaction due to undetected antibodies is one of the most frequent causes of transfusion-related injuries,” said Janet Molny, General Manager of NPAR LLC. “We believe that NPAR represents a major advance in patient safety, and are very excited to work with Blood Systems and client hospitals of its Blood Centers Division.”

While hospital and health system blood banks keep thorough records of their patients’ antibody histories, there is little in the way of record-sharing between hospitals today.

“That means patients who are treated at multiple hospitals are at greater risk for hemolytic reaction,” said Patrick McEvoy, President of the Blood Centers Division of Blood Systems. “A shared antibody database mitigates that risk and can even reduce the time required to issue blood products, leading to better patient care. We chose to work with NPAR because its automated database offers quick setup and is easy to use.”

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About NPAR LLC: The National Patient Antibody Registry LLC provides a secure, central repository that lets participating blood banks view their combined antibody history data. NPAR LLC provides an easy-to-use web-based interface that requires a minimal investment of hospital IT resources. User training, included with the service subscription, takes less than two hours. www.npar.com

About Blood Systems: Blood Systems is one of the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit blood service providers. Its Blood Centers Division (United Blood Services, Blood Centers of the Pacific and Inland Northwest Blood Center) provides blood, blood components and special services to patients in nearly 600 hospitals in 18 states, primarily in the South, the Northern Plains and the West. It also operates three high-volume donor testing laboratories, biological products distribution services, a quality consulting group and a world-renowned transfusion medicine research institute. Hospitals.UnitedBloodServices.org