Immunohematology Boot Camp: Serologic Testing Methodologies and Non-Specific Agglutination

Educational Track: Technical/Clinical
Topic: Transfusion Medicine
Intended Audience: Director, Hospital Blood Banks, Immunohematology Reference Labs (IRL’s), Laboratory Staff, Managers/Supervisors, Medical Directors, Students (MD, MT, SBB), Technologists
Teaching Level: Basic to Intermediate

Director/Moderator: Geoffrey Wool, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Medical Director of Coagulation Laboratory, Attending, Transfusion Medicine/Apheresis Service, Director, Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Speaker: Heather Simmons, Immunohematology Senior, Duke University Hospital, Transfusion Services, Durham, NC

Learning Objectives

After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Explain the various IAT methodologies, their strengths and weaknesses.
• Define non-specific agglutination (NSA) and discuss a comprehensive work-up to deal with that interference.
• Identify NSA in immunohematology cases and accurately identify clinically significant antibodies present in a background of NSA, or masquerading as NSA.

Program Description

This program is designed to review the various methodologies for indirect antiglobulin testing, with a discussion of non-specific agglutination and how to trouble-shoot that interference. There will be a significant component of case-based discussion and learning. As part of the immunohematology boot camp series, this program will be directed towards medical technology students, general technologists who would like to be more comfortable covering the blood bank, and junior blood bank technologists.

Registration

Continuing Education Credit

AABB estimates both the live and on-demand version of this eCast each to be eligible for 1 continuing education credits/contact hours for Physicians, California Nurse, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. The final number of credit(s) and credit types awarded for this program (live or on-demand) will be determined by the program duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our Continuing Education Credits webpage.

Disclosures for the planners of this event can be found here. Disclosures for the program faculty are provided at the beginning of the program.

Speaker Biography

Heather Simons graduated in 2005 with a BA in Psychology from the State University of NY at Geneseo. Heather switched career paths in 2008 and earned an Applied Associates in Medical Laboratory Technology from Central Piedmont Community College- Charlotte, NC. In 2018 Heather graduated from the Specialist in Blood Banking program at OneBlood-St. Petersburg, Fl. Heather is ASCP certified as an MLT, BB and SBB. Since starting her career in medical lab technology, she has always worked in transfusion medicine. Heather started out in the blood bank at Presbyterian Hospital (Novant Health) in Charlotte, NC and currently works at Duke Transfusion Services in Durham, NC. At Duke she has worked as a medical lab scientist, the Immunohematology Senior and in December of 2019, she moved into the Analytical Specialist position. Heather is a 3-year board member of the North Carolina Association of Blood Bankers.

Click here for more about the curriculum for the AABB Blood Banking & Transfusion Medicine 101: eCast Series.  AABB eCasts are 60-90-minute interactive, online programs that include a question and answer period. Participants need access to a computer with an active Internet connection to participate. To register for online live and on-demand programs, view AABB’s registration options and pricing here.