Red Cross Clinical Services

The following services are provided through the American Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Services Region. 

Therapeutic Apheresis / Photopheresis  (THAP)

Perioperative Autologous Cell Salvage (PACS)

Cellular Therapy Program

The Therapeutic Apheresis/Photopheresis Program is AABB Accredited, and exceeds the applicable JCAHO standards.  The nursing staff holds licensure in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.

The Perioperative Autologous Cell Salvage Program exceeds the JCAHO standards and is compliant with all state and local regulations in New Jersey.

The Cell Therapy Program- Collection, Processing, Storage, and Distribution of Hematopoietic Stem Cells is AABB and FACT Accredited.  The program is compliant with all federal, state and local regulations, and exceeds the applicable JCAHO standards.  The nursing collection staff holds licensure in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Therapeutic Apheresis / Photopheresis

Program Description

The Greater Chesapeake & Potomac Region of the American Red Cross Biomedical Services provides mobile therapeutic apheresis services in Central Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Southern Pennsylvania. These procedures are performed in hospitals and clinics.

Types of therapeutic apheresis include plasmapheresis, leukocytapheresis, thrombocytapheresis, red cell exchange (erythrocytapheresis) and immunoadsorption. We also provide Mobile Photopheresis services, which is an automated extracorporeal photochemotherapeutic treatment.

Services Offered

The Red Cross offers state-of-the-art therapeutic apheresis service in your hospital or clinic, which provides many benefits for both you and the patient.

• A Red Cross physician is notified of the request and is available for consultation, as needed, with the hospital physician to arrange for any indicated preparation (overall treatment plan and schedule, laboratory testing, replacement fluids, physician orders, central access etc.)
• Red Cross staff travel to the hospital to perform the procedure as scheduled. A Red Cross physician is on-call at all times to provide consultation and support.

Contact Us
We offer our services on a 24-hour/7 day basis. For more information contact Terri Myszka Program Director, at 800-377-8985 ext. 4251.

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Perioperative Autologous Cell Salvage (PACS)

What is PACS?

PACS refers to the collection, processing, and return of patient’s own blood lost during surgical procedures or due to trauma. PACS is most commonly used in orthopedic, vascular, cardiac, neurological, gynecologic, urologic, transplant and trauma surgeries.

The benefits of autologous transfusion include:

• Conservation of allogeneic donor blood inventories;
• Reduction of disease transmission and fewer transfusion reactions;
• Prevention of alloimmunization to red blood cell, platelet and leukocyte antigens.

Program Description

Perioperative Autologous Cell Salvage (PACS), also known as intraoperative cell salvage or cell saver, is recognized as an effective transfusion option for many surgical patients who need blood transfusions. PACS can be used for nearly every surgery where moderate to heavy bleeding is expected. As with any medical procedure, a risk-benefit determination should be considered. PACS is an important option for persons who cannot donate blood in advance of planned surgery for medical, religious or scheduling reasons.

Services Offered

Under centrifugation, red cells are separated from the remaining whole blood components and washed with an isotonic solution, and then made available for immediate transfusion to the patient. The washing process eliminates hazardous materials such as clotting factors and foreign matter, which can cause transfusion complications.

• The Red Cross uses state-of-the-art cell salvage equipment and supplies all the necessary disposables for collection, processing, and return of autologous red cells.
• We provide a dedicated, certified operator for all procedures and we are available on a 24 hour/7 day scheduled and emergency basis.

Contact Us

Facilities with a contract for PACS can call the Clinical Services Department at 866-805-3500. Someone is available to take your call on a 24 hour basis. To make contractual arrangements for PACS, contact Maria Henshey, Program Director, at 800-377-8985 ext. 4255.

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Cell Therapy Program

What is Cell Therapy?

Bone marrow and/or peripheral blood can be used as a source of Hematopoietic Progenitor cells for autografts intended to permit and accelerate Hematopoietic recovery following high doses of cytotoxic therapy.

Studies have shown that with peripheral blood as the source, such recovery appears to be comparable to that observed when autologous bone marrow is utilized — provided that an adequate number of progenitor cells are reinfused.

The American Red Cross Cellular Therapy Program allows the hospital and practicing physician to offer the most advanced technology without costly investment in staff, equipment and training for the hospital.

Program Description

The Red Cross Autologous Bone Marrow-Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell (ABM-HPC) program provides peripheral blood stem cell collection, and peripheral blood stem cell and bone marrow processing and storage services to hospitals in the Greater Chesapeake & Potomac area.

Services Offered

The Red Cross Cellular Therapy Program offers the following collection, processing and storage services:

Collection:

• Consultation with Red Cross medical staff;
• Dedicated nursing staff experienced in blood component collection, apheresis, and IV management;
• Dedicated medical technologists experienced in blood banking, stem cell processing, and cryopreservation;
• State-of-the-art apheresis, stem cell processing, and cryopreservation equipment;
• Mobile apheresis equipment, allowing peripheral blood stem cell collection at any of several Red Cross sites, hospitals, or physician offices;

Processing:

• Laboratories providing access to comprehensive services including quantitative assays, rate controlled freezing, and liquid nitrogen storage;
• Stem cell handling (labeling, tracking, transportation, processing, and storage at Red Cross facilities) in accordance with all current standards and regulations.
• Colony Forming Unit (CFU) Assay – in vitro quantitative culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell collection or peripheral blood.
• Flow Cytometric Assay – quantitation by flow cytometry of the subpopulation present in a peripheral blood, peripheral blood stem cell, or bone marrow specimen, expressing those antigens (e.g. CD34) felt to correlate with the capacity for Hematopoietic reconstitution.

Storage:

HPC products are initially quarantined and stored in vapor phase until infectious disease testing has been completed. If all are negative, products are then moved to Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) storage where products are stored in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen

(-196° C). The LN2 storage units, refrigerators and freezers are all monitored 24 hours a day for temperature using the Central Alarm Monitoring System. They are all connected to emergency power (generator power) in case of power failure. 

Contact Us

Services are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but in cases of emergencies, can be scheduled during evenings, weekends and holidays. For more information call Betsy Moyer, Program Director, at 800-377-8985 ext. 4160.

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