Robots Sort Blood Specimens: Help American Red Cross Improve Productivity and Traceability…A Robot Case Study

In addition to being an international humanitarian organization, the American Red Cross is the biggest single blood collecting agency in the United States. Given the kind of work they do, there is an immense pressure to be at the right time at the right palce.

They now use advanced robotic automation linked directly to a computerized laboratory information system data base to sort tens of thousands of blood samples each day.

Ultimately, this high-tech approach is reducing human error and helping improve productivity and traceability. Along with every pint bag of blood donated, the Red Cross also collects several blood samples in test tubes.

The bag and all samples are bar-coded for identification and tracking purposes. Before any blood or component products (such as platelets, red cells, plasma or cryoprecipitate) can be used, samples from each unit must first be centrifuged, blood-typed, and tested for a variety of viral diseases. This testing is performed at one of five National Testing Laboratories (NTLs) that serve the 36 collection regions encompassing the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Test results are electronically transferred to the blood centers via laboratory information systems. One test tube containing a sample from each collection is also sent to the newly formed Red Cross Plasma Sample Management Facility located in Birmingham, Alabama.