Self-sufficiency for plasma and plasma proteins in Norway

Self-sufficiency has been achieved in Norway with regard to all major blood products even with the collection of only 41,906 units of whole blood and 2,586 plasmapheresis sessions per million inhabitants (1994). Since 1989 the collaborative effort of the 'Norwegian Fractionation Project' has secured the self-sufficiency of virus-inactivated plasma and (high/ ultra-high purity) products of plasma proteins. Thus national self-sufficiency for plasma can be obtained by a combination of national guidelines, close collaboration to the clinicians, and a limiting plasmapheresis programme combined with the preparation of FFP from the majority of whole blood collections.