A shipment of Packed Red Blood Cells arrives with a broken tamper-proof seal. What is the best course of action?

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Multiple Choice

A shipment of Packed Red Blood Cells arrives with a broken tamper-proof seal. What is the best course of action?

Tamper-evident seals are there to confirm the integrity of the blood product and the validity of the cold chain. When a seal is broken, the first priority is to prevent any use of those units and to start a formal check into what happened. Quarantining the shipment creates a clear boundary so nothing is transfused until safety and integrity are confirmed. Escalation is essential. Notifying the Transfusion Medicine supervisor ensures proper review under your hospital’s procedures and triggers the right chain of command. Involving Canadian Blood Services provides official documentation, guidance, and coordination for disposition, recalls if needed, and any required reporting. This combination protects patient safety and maintains traceability throughout the supply chain. Discarding or proceeding with testing without immediate containment and notification can bypass critical safety steps and undermine traceability, so they aren’t appropriate on their own.

Tamper-evident seals are there to confirm the integrity of the blood product and the validity of the cold chain. When a seal is broken, the first priority is to prevent any use of those units and to start a formal check into what happened. Quarantining the shipment creates a clear boundary so nothing is transfused until safety and integrity are confirmed.

Escalation is essential. Notifying the Transfusion Medicine supervisor ensures proper review under your hospital’s procedures and triggers the right chain of command. Involving Canadian Blood Services provides official documentation, guidance, and coordination for disposition, recalls if needed, and any required reporting. This combination protects patient safety and maintains traceability throughout the supply chain.

Discarding or proceeding with testing without immediate containment and notification can bypass critical safety steps and undermine traceability, so they aren’t appropriate on their own.

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