Blood Products Quiz

A Guide to Blood Products: Preparation, Shelf Life, and Therapeutic Uses

Whole Blood

• Preparation involves collecting 450 mL of blood with 63 mL of anticoagulant, usually CPD or CPDA-1.
• The shelf life of whole blood is 21 days when stored between 1°C and 6°C, which is extended to 35 days in CPDA-1 anticoagulant.
• Whole blood is used in cases of rapid blood loss when increased volume and RBC mass is needed, and in exchange transfusions.

Packed RBCs

• Preparation involves removing 200-250 mL of plasma from a unit of whole blood, and the cells are prepared in an open or closed system.
• The shelf life is 24 hours for open systems and extended to 42 days for closed systems with an additive bag.
• Packed RBCs are used to increase RBC mass in patients with symptomatic anemia.

Deglycerolized Frozen RBCs

• RBCs to be frozen are collected in CPD, CPDA-1, or other additive systems and frozen at -65°C.
• The cells must be deglycerolized before transfusion, which involves thawing, washing in a gradient concentration of saline, and ending with an isotonic saline solution containing glucose.
• Deglycerolized RBCs have a shelf life of 2 hours after deglycerolization and are used to minimize febrile or allergic reactions.

Washed RBCs

• Plasma is removed from whole blood after centrifugation, and the remaining RBCs are washed three times with 0.9% saline.
• Washed RBCs have a shelf life of 24 hours after opening and are used to reduce the risk of febrile or allergic reactions in susceptible patients.

Leukocyte-Poor RBCs

• Leukocyte-poor RBC preparations have at least 70% of the original WBCs removed.
• Shelf life is the same as the original unit of blood when a closed system is used, and 24 hours for open systems.
• Leukocyte-poor RBCs are used to reduce febrile transfusion reactions and CMV transmission.

Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)

• FFP is separated from whole blood and frozen within 6 hours of collection.
• FFP has a shelf life of 1 year after collection and must be stored at or below -18°C.
• FFP contains all coagulation factors and is used to treat liver failure, vitamin K deficiency, DIC, and massive transfusions.

Platelets

• Platelet-rich plasma is separated at room temperature by centrifugation from RBCs within 6 hours of collection of whole blood.
• Platelets are stored at room temperature with continuous gentle agitation and have a shelf life of 3 to 5 days.
• Platelet concentrate is used to treat thrombocytopenia, dysfunctional platelets, DIC, and ITP.

Plasma Derivatives

• Plasma derivatives have a shelf life of 5 years when stored between 1°C and 6°C and are used primarily as volume expanders.

Cryoprecipitate

• Cryoprecipitate is prepared from FFP that has been partially thawed, centrifuged, and had the supernatant removed.
• Cryoprecipitate has a shelf life of up to