Storage of thawed cryoprecipitated AHF is better at room temperature than at 1 degree C to 6 degrees C for factor VIII content

Before November 1989, both the American Association of Blood Banks and the Food and Drug Administration required that thawed cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor (AHF) should be used immediately or be stored at room temperature and administered within 6 hours. However, in November 1989, the American Association of Blood Banks changed the requirement for storage of thawed cryoprecipitated AHF from room temperature to 1 degree C to 6 degrees C, while the Food and Drug Administration still required thawed cryoprecipitated AHF to be stored at room temperature. The present study was designed to measure and compare the factor VIII activity in 10 bags of thawed cryoprecipitated AHF that were split into aliquots and stored at room temperature and at 1 degree C to 6 degrees C. At 6 and 24 hours after thawing, the mean factor VIII activities (% of normal) of the room temperature-stored cryoprecipitated AHF were 741% and 680% vs 650% and 608% for the 1 degree C- to 6 degrees C-stored cryoprecipitated AHF (P less than .05 at 6 hours and P = .11 at 24 hours). The storage of thawed cryoprecipitated AHF at 1 degree C to 6 degrees C also resulted in precipitation of both factor VIII and fibrinogen. These data show that it is better to store thawed cryoprecipitated AHF at room temperature vs 1 degree C to 6 degrees C for factor VIII activity. These data also suggest that adequate levels of factor VIII are maintained in thawed cryoprecipitated AHF that has been stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.