Assigning the expiration time/date for Thawed Plasma

A colleague reports that not all facilities that prepare, store and transfuse thawed plasma follow the same protocol to assign the expiration time/date to that product. For example, some institutions assign an expiration date for Thawed Plasma at midnight after 5 days following thawing, counting the day of thawing as day zero. Thus, in those institutions, Thawed Plasma might be stored for longer than 120 hours. Other institutions assign an expiration time/date for Thawed Plasma at 120 hours following the time of thawing (5 days x 24 h/d). The inquiring colleague would like to know what is the predominant practice at other institutions.

The following comments have been submitted in response.

ADDENDA Oct. 28, 2010

1. At an academic medical center in Irvine, California they assign the expiration time/date based on the thawing time (5 days x 24 h), because their computer system (Sunquest) is design to assign the expiration date based on the time of component processing.
   
   
2. At an academic medical center in Los Angeles, California they expire thawed plasma at midnight after 5 days following thawing, counting the day of thawing as day zero.
   
   
3. At the 2010 AABB meeting in Baltimore, at the 'Ask the Standards' session, it was stated that it is acceptable to expire thawed plasma at a minute before midnight after 5 days following thawing, counting the day of thawing as day zero. This is a similar expiration scheme to platelets which expire after five days, counting the day of collection as day zero. (It is anticipated that this position will be written and published by AABB in the near future).

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