Thawed plasma: maintaining efficacy while minimizing wastage

ABSTRACT

According to regulatory guidelines, Fresh Frozen Plasma expires within 24 hours of thawing. Therefore, if transfusions are delayed or cancelled, FFPs are often wasted. The coagulation factor activity of thawed plasma was extensively researched and it was determined that most of the factor activity maintained its efficacy for four days after thawing making it usable with equivalent clinical results. Although derived from FFP, the composition of this product differs slightly and so, the AABB introduced this product as a separate entity called Thawed Plasma. In the US, many blood banks have been using Thawed Plasma interchangeably with FFPs. This not only increases the inventory of plasma products but also eliminates thawing time, providing faster patient care. There are still some concerns regarding transfusing neonates and liver failure patients, but for the majority of surgical patients or those with elevated INRs, Thawed Plasma is an acceptable alternate to FFP. This manuscript reviews attributes and benefits of thawed plasma and its approval by various recognized authorities