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Segment

Blood unit information

Describes properties of a blood unit resulting from a donation, including unit type, weight, volume, container catalog and lot number, and transport temperature range. It accompanies the DON segment in blood bank messages and enables communication between blood center processing systems, inventory management, and hospital transfusion services to track individual blood products from collection through distribution.

13fields
11required
v2.9HL7 version
bui.py
from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import BUI
from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import EI, CWE, DTM

bui = BUI()
bui.set_id_bui = '1'
identifier = EI(entity_identifier='UNIT20240115001')
bui.blood_unit_identifier = identifier

Build BUI segments in Python

How to construct and work with real-world BUI segments.

1

Packed red blood cells

PRBC unit information

from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import BUI
from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import EI, CWE, DTM, NM

bui = BUI()
bui.set_id_bui = '1'
bui.blood_unit_identifier = EI(entity_identifier='UNIT20240115001')
bui.blood_unit_type = CWE(
    identifier='PRBC',
    text='Packed Red Blood Cells',
    name_of_coding_system='ISBT128'
)
bui.blood_unit_expiration_date = DTM('20240215')
bui.blood_unit_volume = '350'
bui.blood_unit_volume_units = CWE(
    identifier='mL',
    text='mL',
    name_of_coding_system='UCUM'
)
2

Fresh frozen plasma

FFP unit information

from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import BUI
from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import EI, CWE, DTM, NM

bui = BUI()
bui.set_id_bui = '2'
bui.blood_unit_identifier = EI(entity_identifier='UNIT20240115002')
bui.blood_unit_type = CWE(
    identifier='FFP',
    text='Fresh Frozen Plasma',
    name_of_coding_system='ISBT128'
)
bui.blood_unit_expiration_date = DTM('20250115')
bui.blood_unit_volume = '250'
bui.blood_unit_volume_units = CWE(
    identifier='mL',
    text='mL',
    name_of_coding_system='UCUM'
)
3

Platelet concentrate

Platelet unit information

from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import BUI
from zato.hl7v2.v2_9 import EI, CWE, DTM, NM

bui = BUI()
bui.set_id_bui = '3'
bui.blood_unit_identifier = EI(entity_identifier='UNIT20240115003')
bui.blood_unit_type = CWE(
    identifier='PLT',
    text='Platelet Concentrate',
    name_of_coding_system='ISBT128'
)
bui.blood_unit_expiration_date = DTM('20240120')
bui.blood_unit_volume = '300'
bui.blood_unit_volume_units = CWE(
    identifier='mL',
    text='mL',
    name_of_coding_system='UCUM'
)

Learn by building

Step-by-step guides for working with HL7 v2 in Zato.

Frequently asked questions

BUI contains blood unit information including unit identifiers, product codes, expiration dates, and volume for blood bank operations.

Common blood product types include PRBC (Packed Red Blood Cells), FFP (Fresh Frozen Plasma), and PLT (Platelet Concentrate).

Use blood_unit_identifier field with EI datatype:

bui.blood_unit_identifier = EI(entity_identifier='UNIT20240115001')

BUI contains blood unit information while DON contains donation information. A single donation may produce multiple blood units.

Zato connects to any system that speaks HL7v2 over MLLP or FHIR over REST. This includes Epic, Cerner, Meditech, Allscripts, and other EHR platforms.

Yes, Zato has built-in MLLP support for sending and receiving HL7v2 messages. MLLP channels handle the framing protocol automatically.

Zato supports HL7 v2.9, which is backward compatible with earlier versions including v2.3, v2.5, and v2.7. Standard segments and datatypes are available as typed Python classes.

Yes. Zato handles both HL7v2 and FHIR natively, so you can parse v2 messages and build FHIR resources with IG-specific extensions in the same service. Typed Python classes are available for both protocols, including extensions from US Core, UK Core, Da Vinci, and other Implementation Guides.

BUI field reference

Complete list of fields in the BUI segment, HL7 v2.9.

#Python nameDatatypeUsageRepeatableTable
1set_id_buiSIOptionalNo-
2blood_unit_identifierEIRequiredNo-
3blood_unit_typeCWERequiredNoHL70566
4blood_unit_weightNMRequiredNo-
5weight_unitsCNERequiredNoHL70929
6blood_unit_volumeNMRequiredNo-
7volume_unitsCNERequiredNoHL70930
8container_catalog_numberSTRequiredNo-
9container_lot_numberSTRequiredNo-
10container_manufacturerXONRequiredNo-
11transport_temperatureNRRequiredNo-
12transport_temperature_unitsCNERequiredNoHL70931
13action_codeIDOptionalNo-

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