Pediatric Transfusion Medicine

Like blood banking in adults, pediatric transfusion medicine focuses on getting the right unit (which more often requires irradiation, splitting into smaller aliquots, and other manipulations) to the right patient (using automated testing to decrease incorrect identification) at the right time (a recently instituted best practice alert has decreased transfusions at over 8 g/dL by 21 percent).

UT Southwestern Medical Center pathology faculty provide medical direction for the Transfusion and Tissue Service at Children’s Health℠ which does testing for and provides the blood products to: two hospitals (Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Children’s Medical Center Plano) and one in-patient rehabilitation center (Our Children’s House). Children’s Transfusion also provides therapeutic apheresis services (over 500 procedures per year) and works with the Children’s Tissue and Transfusion Utilization Committee in many areas of patient safety.

Areas of clinical research focus include: test development, therapeutic apheresis best practice, and pediatric massive transfusion.