Analysis on discard of blood and blood components in a tertiary care center: a guide to blood inventory management

Introduction: In contemporary medicine management, it is evident that transfusion of blood and blood components has become an integral part of the patient. Human blood has no complete substitute to date. Blood is a perishable product and hence proper management of blood inventory is very crucial. Blood being a perishable commodity, efficient management of inventories is pivotal. The challenge that blood centers are facing is to keep sufficient stock to ensure an adequate supply of blood while minimizing losses. Aims and Objectives: The present study is designed to analyze various causes of discard of blood and blood components. Settings and Design: This is an analytical and retrospective type of study, carried out in the Department of Transfusion Medicine, from January 2019 to December 2019. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from blood bank records and confirmed from the master register. Data were then tabulated and analyzed. Statistical analysis used is as follows: Microsoft Excel database sheet was used for analyzing the results for the calculation of percentage and the χ2 test was used. Results: A total of 5,753 units were collected during the study period. A total of 13,913 components were prepared. Out of which, packed red cells (PRCs) were 5691, fresh frozen plasmas (FFPs) 5592, platelet concentrate (PC) 2531, and cryoprecipitate 99. The average discard rate for PRC, FFP, PC, and cryoprecipitate was 4.95%, 2.46%, 19.12%, and 3.03%, respectively. The most common reason for PRC and platelets discard was expiry followed by positivity for transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs), whereas discard of FFPs was due to breakage in the case. Conclusion: The most common reason for the discard of PRCs and platelets in our study was expiry and positivity for TTI, whereas FFPs were mostly discarded due to breakage/leakage