Determining the inventory impact of extended-shelf-life platelets with a network simulation model

Area of Science:

• Blood banking and transfusion medicine
• Supply chain management
• Public health

Background:

• The standard regulatory shelf life for platelets (PLTs) is 5 days.
• Enhanced bacterial detection algorithms can extend PLT shelf life to 7 days.
• Extended shelf life may offset testing costs by reducing wastage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate systemwide reductions in PLT outdates.
• To evaluate the impact of extended PLT shelf life on wastage within a national blood network.

Main Methods:

• A simulation model of the Canadian Blood Services PLT supply chain was developed and validated.
• PLT shelf life was extended from 5 days to 6, 7, and 8 days in simulation runs.
• The impact on PLT outdates was analyzed.

Main Results:

• Extending PLT shelf life by one day is associated with a 16.3% reduction in PLT wastage.
• Both suppliers and hospitals experience reduced outdating, with greater decreases at hospitals.
• Wastage reduction was not significantly affected by blood group, but site characteristics influenced outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Extended shelf life for PLTs effectively reduces wastage in the blood supply chain.
• A 7-day PLT shelf life is projected to reduce wastage by 38%.
• Outdates are expected to be equally distributed between suppliers and hospital customers with a 7-day shelf life.