by Joe Chaffin | Mar 21, 2016
Glossary IgG IgG (“Immunoglobulin G”) is the most abundant antibody in circulation. It is composed of a single antibody molecule that has two antigen binding sites (think of them as “arms”). IgG is traditionally illustrated in a simple fashion...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 21, 2016
Glossary Massive Transfusion Defined loosely as the rapid administration of a volume of red blood cells roughly equivalent to a “normal” person’s RBC volume. The most common definition is the receipt of 10 units of RBCs within 24 hours, but...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 22, 2016
Glossary Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) TTP is a form of Thrombotic Microangiopathy (TMA) associated with severe deficiencies of an enzyme called ADAMTS13 (say it like this: “Adam Tee Ess 13”). This enzyme is responsible for the trimming of von...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 22, 2016
Glossary WBIT Abbreviation for “Wrong Blood In Tube,” also known informally as the blood banker’s worst nightmare! In other words, the tube says this is patient A’s blood, but it actually contains blood from patient B. A 2006 article (AJCP...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 8, 2016
Glossary Blood Bank “Blood Bank” can have three main meanings. First, it most commonly refers to a section of a hospital laboratory responsible for the storage and issue of blood products. Blood banks perform many other tasks as well, including...
