Tracking Device Helps Centers Monitor Blood Bags

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging system for blood products allows them to be tracked throughout the supply chain.

The iTrace for Blood Centers system is an RFID-enabled tracking and process automation system designed specifically to improve quality and efficiency in the transfusion medicine supply chain. The system consists of RFID memory chips placed on blood component bags and the readers needed to download the data stored on the chips. Information regarding the bag's contents, its expiration date, and details about its collection and processing are stored on the chips. The system is intended to be used alongside existing labels and barcode IDs, and not replace them.


By using RFID technology in concert with barcodes, the iTrace system automates blood bag check-in at donor sites, eliminates line-of-sight requirements for checking blood products during the manufacturing process, and streamlines the process of preparing blood products for shipment to hospitals or transfusion centers. The system can increase workflow efficiency, provide increased visibility to inventory, and reduce the cost of compliance in blood product tracking and reconciliation. The iTrace for Blood Centers system is a product of SysLogic (Brookfield, WI, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“As an information systems services company, we always seek out challenging engagements that allow us to truly partner with our clients on innovative and important work,” said Tina Chang, CEO of SysLogic. “iTrace for Blood Centers is the perfect example of such an initiative; we collaborated with blood industry experts and RFID experts from Wisconsin and beyond, to create a product that can truly enhance the safety of our nation’s blood supply.”

“Our three month pilot use of iTrace for Blood Centers, showed significant efficiency and accuracy gains in the movement and reconciliation of blood products from collection through distribution,” added Lynne Briggs, vice president and CIO of the Blood Center of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, USA). “We are just now digging into the additional compliance gains the solution provides with its granular and up to date visibility capabilities.”

The US National Institute of Medicine (Washington DC, USA) has highlighted the total incidence of medical errors that result in between 44,000 to 98,000 American deaths each year, with subsets of these incidents due to the wrong blood being given to the wrong patient. Reducing medical errors in the delivery of blood products is a key component in enhancing the safety and quality of overall healthcare safety.

Related Links:
SysLogic
Blood Center of Wisconsin
The U.S. National Institute of Medicine