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Estimating the impact on the inventory of implementing pathogen-reduced platelets in Canada
John T Blake1,2, Ken McTaggart2, Chantal Couture2
1Department of Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Background:
Pathogen reduction (PR) technology will be implemented in pooled platelets in Canada. It is anticipated that PR platelets will be licensed in Canada for a maximum shelf life of 5 days, while non-treated apheresis platelet products will continue to be licensed for 7 days.
Study Design And Methods:
This study evaluates the impact on inventory, wastage, and shortages of implementing PR platelets. A custom-built simulation model was used to represent a regional distribution network. Experiments with the model were used to estimate product wastage and shortages when a 5-day PR pooled platelet product is introduced alongside a 7-day apheresis platelet product.
Results:
Pooled platelet waste and shortages both increase as pooled shelf life decreases. Apheresis platelets, however, show a different response: While shortages of apheresis platelets increase as the shelf life of pooled units decreases, apheresis waste declines as pooled shelf life decreases.
Conclusion:
Additional platelet collections will be necessary to accommodate the shorter PR platelet shelf life and to cover increased patient transfusion needs due to a lower platelet yield in PR units. Increases of 9% for pooled units and 6% for apheresis units beyond expected demand, were found to be sufficient to ensure a non-inferior level of customer service while minimizing waste.
