The effects of temperature variations on cryoprecipitate

The effect of temperature on Factor VIII levels in blood and cryoprecipitate was assessed. Freshw collected units of blood required several hours to reach 4 C, but this delay seemed of little importance since equal amounts of cryoprecipitated Factor VIII were recovered from blood stored either at 22 C or at 4 C. Freezing at -80, -60, or -40 C produced identical yields of Factor VIII, whereas freezing at -20 C resulted in significantly lower recoveries. This might be expected if one considers the physiochemical changes that occur during the freezing process.