Dried plasma: state of the science and recent developments

The early transfusion of plasma is important to ensure optimal survival of patients with traumatic hemorrhage. In military and remote or austere civilian settings, it may be impossible to move patients to hospital facilities within the first few hours of injury. A dried plasma product with reduced logistical requirements is needed to enable plasma transfusion where medically needed, instead of only where freezers and other equipment are available. First developed in the 1930s, pooled lyophilized plasma was widely used by British and American forces in WWII and the Korean War. Historical dried plasma products solved the logistical problem but were abandoned because of disease transmission. Modern methods to improve blood safety have made it possible to produce safe and effective dried plasma. Dried plasma products are available in France, Germany, South Africa, and a limited number of other countries. However, no product is available in the US. Promising products are in development that employ different methods of drying, pathogen reduction, pooling, packaging, and other approaches. Although challenges exist, the in vitro and in vivo data suggest that these products have great potential to be safe and effective. The history, state of the science, and recent developments in dried plasma are reviewed.