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Every single donation at Miller-Keystone Blood Center receives approximately 12 blood tests, many of which are for infectious diseases. Additionally, whole blood donations go through further manufacturing steps to create different blood components, which then go through quality control testing.
April 14-20 is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, a week designed to increase public awareness, understanding and appreciation for laboratory professionals. The testing of blood products is no easy task, and MKBC is fortunate to have more than 30 laboratory professionals on our staff. Without trained laboratory professionals, quality medical care would not be possible because the laboratory is at the core of all of medicine, where critical diagnoses are made based upon accurate specimen testing. We are proud to recognize our Laboratory Staff – not only during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, but all year long – and the very important role they play within our organization and our community.
Continue reading below for an amazing story involving MKBC, blood banks in Australia and England, and a unit of some of the rarest blood in the world…..
A Tale of International Collaboration
October 2022 – We are proud to share this story with you. It is a story regarding some of the rarest blood in the world, and of international collaboration! When a hospital patient in Miller-Keystone’s service area was in potential need of a blood transfusion, it was discovered that she carried a very rare antibody. It was our own IRL (Immunohematology Reference Laboratory) at MKBC that identified this rare antibody. Regional and national searches on the Rare Donor Registry identified no potential matches, leading to a search on the international Rare Donor Registry. One potential match was located in Australia, but the individual was unable to donate. The other potential match was located in England. Thanks to our partner and friend, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), this donor was contacted to give blood specifically for this patient, and arrangements were made for this lifesaving unit of blood to be transported to the regional hospital, available for the patient’s care. Thank you to our own IRL staff, the hospital’s laboratory & medical staff, everyone at the Rare Donor Registry, and the NHSBT for their incredible efforts to ensure that even the rarest of blood was available for someone in need!
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