Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic Region is part of a national network system that is comprised of 36 blood regions and nine National Testing Laboratories. The region provides for the blood needs of over 3.5 million people annually within central and southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina.

Our service area includes 80 counties and independent cities and 27 Red Cross Chapters. We serve 46 hospitals and have cooperative relationships with four military medical facilities. The Mid-Atlantic Region has a work force of more than 400 employees, assisted by many volunteers, who carry out the important tasks of blood collection, screening, processing, and distribution of the blood components.

Our mission is to provide our 50 hospitals and their patients that we serve with the safest, most efficient and highest quality product that can be obtained anywhere in the country. Our staff is available to all member hospitals anytime day or night to help resolve problems related to blood, blood products, or blood disorders.

Products

WHOLE BLOOD

Whole Blood is rarely used for transfusion and not kept in routine inventory. This is a special order blood product that needs to be ordered in advance. Units are approximately 450 - 500 ml of anticoagulated blood. Shelf life for this product is 21 days.

RED BLOOD CELLS

RED BLOOD CELLS, LEUKOCYTE REDUCED BY FILTRATION

Leukoreduced red blood cells are prepared from whole blood units. After collection the whole blood is separated into red cells and plasma by centrifugation. A preservative solution is mixed with the red cells and the component is filtered with a leukoreduction filter. Leukocyte reduced red cells must have a residual leukocyte content < 5 x 10⁶ . Shelf life for this product is 42 days.

Red Blood Cells, Washed
This is a special order blood component. Orders require approximately two hours of preparation time at the Norfolk Center. Shelf life for this product is 24 hours.

Red Blood Cells, Deglycerolized
This is a special order blood component. Orders for this product require approximately three hours of preparation time at the Norfolk Center. The product must be thawed and washed to remove the glycerol used for freezing prior to administration. Deglycerolized red cells are generally used for patients with difficulty in obtaining phenotype compatible red blood cells or for patients with clinically significant antibodies to IgA. Shelf life for this product is 24 hours.



PLASMA

Plasma Frozen Within 24 Hours after Phlebotomy
This product is prepared from whole blood. After collection the whole blood is separated into red cells and plasma. The plasma is frozen within 24 hours of collection. Shelf life for this product is one year.

Fresh Frozen Plasma, Divided Triple
This product is prepared from whole blood. After collection the whole blood is separated into red cells and plasma. The plasma is then separated into three aliquots of the same size and frozen within eight hours of collection. Shelf life for this product is one year.

Plasma, Cryoprecipitate Reduced (Cryo-Poor Plasma) This product is prepared from Fresh Frozen Plasma by slowly thawing the plasma at 1 - 6° C. The thawed plasma is centrifuged and separated into Cryoprecipitate Reduced Plasma and Cryoprecipitate. Cryoprecipitate Reduced Plasma is deficient in Von Willebrand factor, Factor VIII, Factor XIII, fibrinogen and fibronectin. It can be used for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).

Leukoreduced Random Donor Platelets
This product is prepared from Whole Blood. A random donor unit is a concentrate of platelets separated from a single unit of Whole Blood. Platelets are suspended in 45 - 65 mL of plasma and filtered with a leukoreduction filter. Platelets must be agitated gently and stored at 20 - 24 ° C. Shelf life for this product is five days.

Leukoreduced Single Donor Platelets (Apheresis Platelets)
This product is derived from a single donor using an apheresis collection machine that provides a therapeutic dose of platelets. The platelets are leukoreduced during collection. The platelets are suspended in 100 - 500 mL of plasma and the product must contain greater than or equal to 3 x 10¹¹ platelets with < 5 x 10⁶ residual leukocytes. Shelf life for this product is five days.

OTHER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE

Cryoprecipitated AHF
This product is prepared by thawing Fresh Frozen Plasma between 1 - 6° C and recovering the precipitate. The precipitate is refrozen within one hour. Cryoprecipitate AHF contains coagulation factors Factor VIII, Factor XIII, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, and fibronectin. The product contains approximately 10 mL of plasma and is stored frozen. The shelf life is one year.

Granulocytes Pheresis
This is a special order product that requires coordination with the donor, Norfolk Apheresis Collection Center and the transfusion service. The product is a granulocyte cell concentrate collected from a single donor. Granulocytes Pheresis should be transfused as soon as possible after collection as granulocytes deteriorate quickly during storage. If the product must be stored maintain the temperature at 20 - 24° C without agitation. The shelf life for this product is 24 hours.