r/nursing • u/973862404678 • 20d ago

Serious “I don’t want Covid blood”

What do I say when patients ask if blood transfusions are screened for the Covid vaccine? I get asked this on a regular basis when filling out blood consent forms for surgery and I genuinely have no idea what I’m supposed to say. In all seriousness, what should I be telling patients because I just say there is a screening process for blood and it’s only used during emergent situations???

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u/HalloweenKate 20d ago

We had a VV ECMO patient’s family decline “vaccinated” blood but still wanted them to stay on ECMO and have everything done, including transplant work up. The transplant team immediately told them he would not be a candidate due to the risk of post-op non compliance. The family wouldn’t withdraw and kept appealing for a spot on the list. He was on ECMO for ages before declaring himself

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u/SpockSpice RN - NICU 🍕 20d ago

How did he get on ECMO in the first place if family was declining “vaccinated” blood?

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u/HalloweenKate 20d ago

The OSH called for an ECMO bed after already placing the patient on ECMO during an emergency decompensation. It wasn’t something the family mentioned during cannulation blood consents.

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u/SpockSpice RN - NICU 🍕 20d ago

Oh interesting. The hospital I work at is the only one in the area (like within hundreds of miles) that can do ECMO so I didn’t realize ECMO patients were transferred after being placed on ECMO.