Use of a cloud‐based search engine of a centralized donor database to identify historical antigen‐negative units in hospital inventories

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The provision of units with antigennegative attributes is required for alloimmunized transfusion recipients and to avoid alloimmunization among patients on chronic transfusion support. Recent evidence confirms that the demand for antigen-typed units is increasing. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:A cloud-based search engine was designed by the blood center to find antigen-negative units. The service provided access to historical antigen information for units in hospital inventories. The hospital transfusion service was required to confirm the antigen phenotype. The results of 16 hospitalsʼ use over 5 years were analyzed to determine trends and value of the service. The time commitment of the cloud-based query was compared to the hospital performing manual phenotyping with an outcome of at least one unit found with the desired antigen-negative attribute(s).RESULTS: Hospitals were located between 4 miles and 200 miles away from the blood center. A total of 6,081 queries were submitted over the 5 years, with an overall 50% success rate of finding at least one unit. Single antigen queries accounted for 67% of total searches, with two antigen queries and three or more antigen queries accounting for 24% and 9% of the units found, respectively. The cloud-based antigen query was most efficient for combined antigen frequencies <0.5 for two or more antigen-negative attributes.CONCLUSION: A cloud-based search engine provides hospitals with access to historical antigen information housed at the blood center. Future refinements may consider regulatory submission of a process to provide confirmed historical information through this cloud-based program.From the

Optimizing transfusion management of multiple myeloma patients receiving daratumumab‐based regimens

“…Some studies have reported new methods for transfusion services to easily identify antigen-negative units from repeat donors. 25 Others have shown that requests for antigen-negative units are placing an increasing burden on blood centers. 26,27 While prophylactic matching for patients receiving daratumumab appears unnecessary in the current climate, technological advances could make the practice more favorable in the future.…”

“…The efficiency of prophylactic matching, of course, depends on resources and technology. Some studies have reported new methods for transfusion services to easily identify antigen‐negative units from repeat donors 25 . Others have shown that requests for antigen‐negative units are placing an increasing burden on blood centers 26,27 .…”

How do we leverage data through replication and warehousing to meet blood collection and transfusion service needs

“…Versiti Blood Centers and Blood Centers of America (BCA) partnered to create such a service-a readily accessible, cloud-based, uncommon unit "exchange" to allow any blood center to request and/or provide information regarding the availability of typed units in their inventory (Figure 4A). 11,12 In order to create this service, several key design questions had to be resolved:…”

How to use a cloud‐based search engine of a centralized donor database to identify historical antigen‐negative units in hospital inventories

“…A blood center non‐proprietary cloud‐based search engine, termed Antigen Query, was developed that allows hospital transfusion services served by the blood center to scan their inventory for historical antigen‐negative units. This search engine serves as a successful screening tool to quickly identify antigen‐negative units using historical data . The transfusion service staff can then confirm the antigen‐negative status using antisera only on those units identified.…”