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Stemming the Flow: Causes and Solutions for Blood and Blood Component Wastage in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Hari Haran1, Suresh Kumar I1, Sahayaraj J1

  • 1Transfusion Medicine, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, IND.

Cureus
|June 3, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Blood wastage in hospitals is high, with 18% of components discarded, mainly platelets expiring due to non-utilization. Strategies like better inventory management and utilization guidelines can significantly reduce this blood loss.

Area of Science:

  • Transfusion Medicine
  • Healthcare Management

Background:

  • Blood and blood component wastage represents a significant challenge in hospital transfusion services.
  • Understanding discard rates and causes is crucial for optimizing resource allocation and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze discard rates and identify causes of blood and blood component wastage.
  • To propose strategies for reducing wastage in a hospital transfusion service.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study was conducted using data from the Department of Transfusion Medicine over five years.
  • Discard rates for various blood components were calculated and reasons for discard were categorized.

Main Results:

  • The overall discard rate was 18%, with platelets accounting for the majority (91.6%) of discarded components.
  • Expired shelf life was the primary reason for discard (97%), followed by transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI) reactivity (2.9%).

Conclusions:

  • Platelets are the most frequently discarded blood component, primarily due to expiry from non-utilization.
  • Implementing improved blood utilization guidelines, staff training, and inventory management are key strategies to mitigate blood wastage.

Keywords:
expiryinventory managementquality indicatortransfusion transmitted infectionwastage

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