Red Cell Reference Lab

The Red Cell Reference Laboratory is an integral part of The Institute For Transfusion Medicine^(sm). The lab can resolve routine and complex antibody problems and provides a wide variety of blood products on a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week basis. The Red Cell Reference Laboratory staff is also available at all times to provide both technical and medical consultations.

The lab is one of only two reference laboratories in Pennsylvania to be accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). As an AABB accredited reference lab, the lab has at its disposal multiple resources to aid in both antibody identification and provision of blood products. This includes an extensive inventory of rare cells and serum for use in complex antibody resolutions. The lab has available not only the blood center's inventory (nearly 200,000 donations per year), but also its own inventory of frozen rare units for use in unusual compatibility cases. The reference lab is also a member of the AABB rare donor file. In the event that the necessary product is not available at the blood center, then the lab can obtain the products through a national network of blood centers.

Accreditations

AABB Immunohematology Reference Lab

* 1 of 2 in Pennsylvania

AABB Rare Donor File

FDA

CLIA

State of Pennsylvania

State of New York

Problem Resolution

	Advanced knowledge of techniques and theories.
	Approximately 350 workups performed per month which include ABO discrepancies, multiple antibodies, antibodies to high frequency antigens, warm autoantibodies, cold autoantibodies, and drug studies.
	Innovative and cutting edge methodologies.

Special Tests

Kleihauer-Betke

Sucrose Hemolysis

Chromium Survival Studies

Donath-Landsteiner

Platelet Antibody Studies

Ham's Test

(See our complete Catalog of Services.)

Turn Around Times

A dedicated RCRL staff is available on site 24 hours per day/7 days per week/365 days per year.

Most workups completed within 8 hours.

Verbal report called to referring facility at completion of workup.

Preliminary reports available via fax.

Written report generated in 24 hours.

Staff

Beth Jochum, MT(ASCP)SBB

Julie Freeman, MBA, MT(ASCP)SBB

Lorraine Beitel, MT(ASCP)SBB

Judy DiSanti, MT(ASCP)SBB

Borche Erka, MT(ASCP)

Lisa Goldberg, MT(ASCP)SBB

Terri Daw, MT(ASCP)

Marie Farabaugh, MT(ASCP)SBB

Connie Todd, MT(ASCP)

For more information about the Red Cell Reference Lab, please contact Beth Jochum at (412)209-7463 or by email, bjochum@itxm.org.