Sentara Norfolk (Va.) General Hospital is piloting the use of blood vending machines to give clinical teams quicker access to blood products, NBC affiliate WAVY reported Jan. 20.
The hospital installed four vending machines near its operating room and emergency department trauma bays in December. To retrieve blood products, staff members scan their badges and the patient's ID and then specify the number of units needed. The refrigerated machine unlocks and illuminates compartments, indicating which blood products staff should take.
Previously, the hospital relied on runners to secure products from its blood bank in urgent situations.
"The blood bank is not close to the O.R. It's not close to the ED either," Christie McGhee, the hospital's transfusion services manager, told WAVY. "So having this kind of remote blood bank for their access is a game-changer for them."
As a Level 1 trauma center, Sentara Norfolk General handles more than 2,200 blood transfusions each month.