10 Years of Experience with the First Thawed Plasma Bank in Germany

Plasma is stored at -30°C, which requires thawing before transfusion, causing a time delay between ordering and issuing of at least 30 min. In case of bleeding emergencies, guidelines strongly recommend a 2:1 transfusion ratio of RBCs and plasma. In addition, each minute delay in issuing of blood products in bleeding emergencies increases the mortality risk. To provide plasma in time in bleeding emergencies, a thawed plasma bank was introduced in 2011.

The thawed plasma bank of University Medicine Greifswald has provided 18,924 thawed stored plasma units between 2011 and 2020. The workflow in the laboratory as well as in the emergency room, the operating room, and the intensive care unit have been optimized by thawed stored plasma. In case of emergencies, the stress factor for the transfusion medicine laboratory staff has been reduced substantially. The thawed plasma bank allows to transfuse patients with massive transfusion demand at a 2:1 ratio of RBCs and plasma according to guidelines. To reduce storage time, we issue all plasma requests from the thawed plasma bank except for pediatric patients. This results in a median storage time in the thawed plasma bank of 24 h. The "just in time" availability of plasma within the entire hospital based on the thawed plasma bank has reduced precautionary ordering of plasma, and hereby the unnecessary use of plasma. After introduction of the thawed plasma bank, plasma usage decreased substantially by 24% within the first year and by 60% compared to 2019/2020. However, as the overall approach to using blood products has changed over the last 10 years due to the patient blood management initiative, quantification of the effects of the thawed plasma bank in reduction of plasma transfusion is difficult.

(1) A thawed plasma bank for the routine supply of blood products in a large hospital is feasible in Germany. (2) The thawed plasma bank allows to supply RBCs and plasma in a 2:1 ratio in bleeding emergencies. (3) The beneficial logistical effects of the thawed plasma bank are optimal if all plasma requests are supplied from the thawed plasma bank. This results in a median storage time of 24 h for thawed plasma.