Expiration for RBC Syringes

[Moncada]

Just curious what expirations are being assigned to RBC syringes prepared for neonatal transfusion? 4 hrs or 6 hrs? What is the reference to the required expiration?

Per current technical manual (16th ed), p. 294:

"Cellular components stored in syringes have an expiration of 4 hours..."

(I don't think this is only referring to platelets in this context)

Also per technical manual, p. 216:

" The syringe can be attached to an auto-syringe infusion pump to complete the transfusion within 6 hours of filling the syringe".

What are people using....and what reference is cited for the reason? Just curious.

[Eagle Eye]

we use sterile doc to prepare an aliquot in a syringe and give 24 hrs expiration to RBC(@ 1-6C storage) & 4 hrs to platelets...Package insert for our syringe manufacturer is our reference.

[MARINA]

We sterile dock syringe and give 24 hour expiration date to RBC and 4 hours to platelets.

[Stoogiesfreak]

You have all made me curious. We did this practice and assigned a 24 hours expiration date/time for RBC's. During a JCAHO inspection we were made to stop doing RBC syringes. Did we have an inspector that wasn't up on the regs or what? We were AABB accredited at the time.

[MARINA]

You have all made me curious. We did this practice and assigned a 24 hours expiration date/time for RBC's. During a JCAHO inspection we were made to stop doing RBC syringes. Did we have an inspector that wasn't up on the regs or what? We were AABB accredited at the time.

Do you put something like 12 cc aliquot in a bag?

[Stoogiesfreak]

No, we aliquoted into a syringe. After that inspection we went to all O Neg frozen deglycerized PRBC, and then aliquoted into a bag after they were washed. The bag was automatically assigned a 24 hour expiration due to the washing and that seemed to satisfy all the inspectors. It still confuses me to this day, but both AABB and JCAHO were satisfied with that resolution. ???

John

[Marilyn Plett]

No, we aliquoted into a syringe. After that inspection we went to all O Neg frozen deglycerized PRBC, and then aliquoted into a bag after they were washed. The bag was automatically assigned a 24 hour expiration due to the washing and that seemed to satisfy all the inspectors. It still confuses me to this day, but both AABB and JCAHO were satisfied with that resolution. ???

John

This sounds like a very very expensive solution.

[vilma_mt]

Just curious what expirations are being assigned to RBC syringes prepared for neonatal transfusion? 4 hrs or 6 hrs? What is the reference to the required expiration?

Per current technical manual (16th ed), p. 294:

"Cellular components stored in syringes have an expiration of 4 hours..."

(I don't think this is only referring to platelets in this context)

Also per technical manual, p. 216:

" The syringe can be attached to an auto-syringe infusion pump to complete the transfusion within 6 hours of filling the syringe".

What are people using....and what reference is cited for the reason? Just curious.

This question has come up before and I don't quite remember where I read it, most likely an AABB ask the FDA forums. Syringe is not an approved storage container for blood. They've allowed the use of it only for immediate transfusion, therefore giving it 4 hour expiration. Check your manufacturer's insert it probably states "refer to current AABB Standards" which states "Cellular components stored in syringes have an expiration of 4 hours...". I think this should apply to all blood components including Plasma since it not an approved storage container, whether a facility uses a SCD or not.