International Society for Blood Transfusion international survey on blood product wastage in hospitals

Background and Objectives The ISBT Working Party on Blood Supply Management undertook an international survey of blood component wastage rates. Materials and Methods Using a survey website, questions were developed and validated to collect information on component wastage rates and the mechanisms for this wastage at hospital transfusion services around the world. Wastage was calculated as a percentage of the units issued (WAPI), which accounts only for the issued products not the size of the blood bank's inventory. Results There were 85 useable responses over an approximately 6-month period. The majority of respondents were from Europe (53/85, 62%) and North America (19/85, 22%). The rest were from Oceania, Asia and the Middle East. Most respondents were from major academic teaching hospitals (45/85, 53%) with >1000 beds (32/85, 38%). There was no significant difference in the median regional WAPI wastage rates for RBCs and platelets between Europe (1·6%, 3·3%), North America (1·3%, 2·9%) and the rest of the world (2·4%, 7·2%) (P > 0·05 for all comparisons). Plasma wastage rates were also not different between these 3 regions. Neither RBC shelf life (≤35 days vs. 42 days) nor platelet shelf life (5 days vs 7 days) significantly affected the rate of product expiration in the hospital blood bank. Conclusion The median wastage rates are low around the world; a more detailed understanding of the specific mechanisms that lead to wastage around the world will help further reduce the rate.