The Division of Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis within the Department of Pathology at OSUWMC provides comprehensive transfusion medicine services and state-of the-art therapeutic apheresis procedures for OSUWMC patients. Medical Director Scott Scrape, MD, and the division’s other fellowship trained Transfusion Medicine physician, Irmeen Siddiqui, MBBS, oversee the daily functions of the OSUWMC University Hospital and East Hospital blood banks as well as the new 10,000 square foot Apheresis Center located on the first floor of the James Cancer Hospital.

The OSUWMC blood banks are some of the busiest in the country, performing approximately 42,000 tests and issuing over 60,000 blood products annually to a complex patient population. The transfusion service supports active solid organ and bone marrow transplant, general and cardiac surgery, neonatal and obstetric, sickle cell, and hematology services. The Transfusion Medicine physicians routinely provide expert advice and consultative services to help clinicians meet the transfusion needs of their patients. Both blood banks are accredited by the College of American Pathologists and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).

The Transfusion Medicine physicians have developed working relationships with practically every department and clinical area of the medical center to help better manage our blood supply, educate the clinical staff and nurses on transfusion guidelines, and develop strategies to help reduce blood loss. In addition, they have authored transfusion medicine related articles and book chapters, and they also serve on several local and national Transfusion Medicine related committees.

The group also manages a busy inpatient and outpatient apheresis service which performs over 2,500 procedures yearly. Procedures available include plasmapheresis, RBC exchange, white cell reduction, platelet reduction, allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell collection, photopheresis and LDL-apheresis. The patient population consists of approximately 60% outpatients and 40% inpatients. Many are referred in from other hospitals in the region. There are a variety of hematologic, neurologic, and transplant-related indications for apheresis. The Apheresis Department is accredited by the AABB.

The Transfusion Service operates as the core educational resource for Transfusion Medicine at OSUWMC. In addition to pathology residents, all anesthesiology residents and hematology fellows at OSU rotate through the blood banks. The training of fellows, residents, medical students, nurses and hospital staff is an essential part of our commitment to excellence.

The Division offers a fellowship in Transfusion Medicine. The ACGME-accredited 1-year clinical and research program offers extensive experience in the OSUWMC and Nationwide Children’s Hospital Transfusion and Apheresis Services, as well as training in the local American Red Cross Diagnostic Reference Laboratory. At the end of the fellowship, the fellows are board-eligible in Transfusion Medicine/Blood Banking.