[Fresh frozen plasma: a pilot study of the context of utilization and the indications]

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a tolerance study of qualified (secured by quarantine or solvent-detergent-treated) fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in real conditions of use. We included all patients receiving qualified FFP during a one-month observation period in three french hospitals (Besançon, Brest, Lyon). The 192 FFP transfusion episodes corresponded to 111 patients. Only two thirds of all prescriptions corresponded to indications mentioned in the ministerial order of december 1991. Forty-two episodes consisted of FFP only; in the 150 remaining episodes, at least one product (mostly labile blood products) had been injected within 24 hours before or after the plasma injection. The free interval between FFP transfusion and the nearest associated product was usually less than three hours. Only one side effect was notified. This pilot study points out the difficulties of a tolerance study of qualified FFP in real conditions of use. It also raises the necessity to clarify current indications of FFP.