Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, 33rd edition - Portal

The 33rd edition of Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services (BBTS Standards) details the latest standards of practice in blood banking and transfusion medicine. As in the past, each chapter heading represents one of the Quality System Essentials and the quality standards are supplemented by technical requirements. The effective date of this edition is April 1, 2022.

Product Features:

The 33rd edition of BBTS Standards, effective April 1, 2022, details the latest standards of practice for accredited blood banking and transfusion facilities. It is the third set of standards to appear in the AABB Standards Portal. The Standards Portal allows users to customize their profile based on the activities for which they are accredited and can be rearranged at any time. Standards that do not apply to a user’s profile will appear grayed out to ensure that purchasers are aware of the standards that apply to their facility and those that do not.

The Standards Portal is also fully searchable by key word, chapter, or standard number, allowing users to navigate quickly to the most relevant standards to them at that time. Guidance is provided on how to implement a standard, why it was created, or why a change was made from this edition to the last. Any relevant documentation that would assist users in implementing the standard in question is provided.

New Benefits to Users

All links to outside websites and cross references to other standards in the portal are live and appear in popup windows to allow users to be able to see both the standard in question and the linked post. The full edition of the BBTS Standards (not including any guidance) is printable at any time to ensure that users can take the BBTS Standards on the go.

Any interim or emergent standards will appear seamlessly in the portal once effective and highlighted.

By purchasing the Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, 33rd edition (“Standards”) through the AABB Standards Portal (“Portal”), users acknowledge and agree that they will access the Standards solely for their own personal and/or professional use and not distribute, copy or provide access to the Standards for use by any third parties. Furthermore, users will securely maintain their login and password for the Portal. In the event that AABB or its authorized agents discover that users have not complied with these Terms and Conditions of Use, they understand that they will lose all rights to access the Standards and will not be entitled to any refund. 

Significant changes:

• In the “Preparation of Components” section (5.7.4 – 5.7.4.27), the standards have been edited to require confidence intervals for certain products where appropriate.
• New Standard 5.7.4.16.1 concerning components created from pathogen-reduced plasma has been added to the Standards to ensure facilities using these products are maintaining them as dictated by manufacturer’s instructions.
• New Standards 5.7.4.23.1, 5.7.4.24.1, 5.7.4.25.1, and 5.7.4.26.1 were created to ensure that low-yield platelet products are labeled appropriately, including an accurate platelet count.
• Standard 5.27.1 contains a new substandard requiring the facilities define a low-titer threshold for the use of group O whole blood.
• A new entry to Reference Standard 5.4.1A concerning the receipt of SARS-COV2 vaccines and any associated deferrals has been added to the Standards. The content of the entry matches the requirements set forth by the FDA in September 2020 that was also included as a separate guidance released by the committee in September 2020.

(2022, AABB)

Effective date: April 1, 2022

Member price: $198

Nonmember price: $288

For more information or help, please contact:

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Item Details:

View Table of Contents (pdf)

View Preface (pdf)

View Sample Pages (pdf)