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Cutting Wait Times and Saving Lives: Gainesville VA Unveils New Blood Irradiator

Blood bank technologists at the Malcolm Randall VAMC in Gainesville, Fla., celebrate the arrival of a new blood product irradiator.
Blood bank technologists at the Malcom Randall VAMC in Gainesville, Fla., celebrate the arrival of a new blood product irradiator, the first of its kind in the VA’s VISN 8.

By Katie Butler, Public Affairs Specialist

Gainesville, Fla. – The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center (VAMC) has introduced a new blood product irradiator, making it the first facility in the Veterans Integrated Service Network 8 (VISN 8) to bring the technology in-house.

The unit located in Gainesville will serve both the Gainesville and Lake City VA Medical Centers and is expected to expand service to three VA outpatient clinics in the future.  

The irradiator delivers a precise dose of radiation to blood products, inactivating white blood cells that can cause graft- versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication often seen in chronically transfused patients, especially those receiving hematology and oncology care. 

Between the Gainesville and Lake City VA facilities, staff transfuse roughly 1,500 irradiated blood products each year. Until now, the hospitals relied on community partners to provide irradiation, which could take hours to complete and deliver. The new in-house irradiator is expected to dramatically reduce that turnaround time and provide faster results for Veterans, with a single unit of blood or platelets now able to be irradiated in just 280 seconds.

“This instrument will improve patient care by reducing turnaround times for irradiated products that are ordered,” said Jason McBride lab manager at the Malcolm Randall VAMC. “It is a win-win for the blood bank and Veterans.” 

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System remains dedicated to providing Veterans with timely access to world-class health care. The addition of the blood product irradiator is just one example of the system’s ongoing commitment to improving services for the nation’s heroes.