Integration of concurrent collection of plasma into a plateletpheresis program

We have reviewed our initial experience with a program of concurrent collection of plasma (CCP) during plateletpheresis, which was instituted to increase the number of units of fresh frozen plasma produced by our hospital-based donor service. Sixty percent of eligible donors (1,006 of 1,682) participated in CCP, and 21 donors subsequently dropped out of the program. Of these, only one of four first-time donors have returned, whereas the majority of established plateletpheresis donors (16 of 17) have continued to donate platelets. Additional plasma was collected at a minimum of 8-week intervals on the Fenwal CS-3000 Plus or COBE Spectra without a change in the requirements for donor testing or the collection procedure. The quality of these platelet products was compared to that of those donated without CCP. There was a small decrease in platelet yield for products with CCP on the CS-3000 Plus (mean yield 4.5 x 10(11) with CCP versus 4.9 x 10(11) without CCP, P < .01). No negative effects were seen on the percentage of products with a minimum yield of 3 x 10(11) platelets or on leukocyte contamination. In addition, there was no difference in the rate of adverse donor reactions. During a 12-month interval, CCP provided 34% (3,798 of 11,266 units) of all fresh frozen plasma for our hospital without additional staff or equipment. The results of this retrospective study suggest that CCP merits further evaluation.