The Blood Center provides both transfusion and stem cell processing services. The Donor/Apheresis Unit collects autologous, directed, and altruistic donors; provides on-site donor/therapeutic/apheresis services and stem cell harvesting services. Annually, the Blood Center receives more than 70,000 orders for transfusions, resulting in 40,000 actual transfusions.

The Blood Center is accredited by JCAHO and registered with the Food and Drug Administration. It is an institutional member and is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks,  and is a member of the Illinois Association of Blood Banks. The cell processing laboratory is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy.

lmmunohematologic Diagnostic Tests

Antibody identification

Antibody screening, Indirect Anti-human globulin test (Indirect Coombs')

Antibody titer

Blood group and Rh

Bone marrow transplant screening

Cord blood screen

Direct antihuman globulin test (direct Coombs' or DAT): Polyspecific; IgG; C3^d

Donath-Landsteiner test

Drug antibody identification

Eluate

Transfusion reaction work-up

Isoagglutinin titer, anti-A and/or anti-B

Rh phenotype

Rh,(D) immune globulin work-up

Special antigen typing

Therapeutic Procedures Available From the Donor/Aphersis Unit

Therapeutic phlebotomy

Therapeutic cytapheresis

Therapeutic plasmapheresis

Therapeutic red cell exchange

ProSorba column treatment

Autologous and Allogeneic stem cell harvesting

To avoid long waits, donors are requested to make an appointment for blood donations. Donors must be in good health, be age 18 or greater, and weigh at least 110 pounds. Criteria for autologous donors vary. For further information, contact the Donor/Apheresis Center,(312)-942-6680.

Whole blood donation (pint of blood) for autologous, directed or general use can be performed in the Donor/Apheresis center at RUSH, as well as platelet donation by apheresis.? Call 312-942-6680 for information about these donor programs.

1. Packed red cells from directed donations will be made available for transfusion at RUSH on a specified date if the donor has the same ABO type as the patient, a satisfactory Rh type, and the donation is received by the RUSH Blood Center in a timely fashion.
   
   
2. A special handling fee is charged by RUSH to the patient for all units received as directed units, regardless of whether they are of a usable type and regardless of whether they are transfused.?
   
   
3. Directed units that are unusable for the directed recipient are placed in the general inventory.? Usable directed units not transfused within two weeks after the specified transfusion date are also placed in the general inventory.
   
   

1. Patients scheduled for elective surgery, or other foreseeable red cell transfusion needs may donate autologous units at the Rush Donor Center, or at another Blood Center's facilities.
   
   
2. An autologous unit received in a timely manner will be made available for transfusion.
   
   
3. A special handling fee is charged upon delivery of an autologous unit to RUSH by the facility drawing it.? To recover this cost, a corresponding fee is charged to the patient by RUSH regardless of whether the unit is ever transfused.
   
   
4. If an autologous unit approaches the limit of refrigerator storage and has not yet been crossmatched, Blood Center personnel will attempt to contact the patient's physician to ask if the unit should be frozen for future use.? Other unused autologous units will be discarded when they reach the limit of liquid storage.? Units requested to be frozen will be discarded after 6 months of frozen storage if not used.