Caitlin Raymond: Why Transfusion Medicine Should Be Looped in Early in Transfusion Reactions
Caitlin Raymond, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Transfusion Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Many clinicians don’t realize that the blood bank has its own physician-led consult service available 24/7, aka Transfusion Medicine.
In many hospitals, the blood bank laboratory and the Transfusion Medicine service operate as one integrated safety system — but they serve different functions.
The lab ensures:
- Compatibility
- Product preparation
- Regulatory compliance
Transfusion Medicine provides:
- Real-time clinical judgment
- Reaction evaluation
- Risk–benefit consultation
- Hemovigilance oversight
When a patient develops hypoxia, hypotension, or fever during a transfusion, the question shifts from ‘What do the labs show?’ to ‘Is this TRALI? TACO? Hemolysis? Sepsis? Something else?’
That distinction between laboratory information and clinical judgement matters, both for the patient in front of you and for the integrity of hospital safety data.
I wrote about our complimentary roles in patient safety, and why Transfusion Medicine should be looped in early in transfusion reactions.”
Other posts featuring Caitlin Raymond on Hemostasis Today.
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Apr 22, 2026, 14:45Ney Carter Borges: Syphilis and Cardiovascular Risk – A Silent and Progressive Vascular Burden