Integration of concurrent collection of plasma into a plateletpheresis program

AbstractWe have reviewed our initial experience with a program of concurrent collection of plasma (CCP) during plateletpheresis, which was instituted to increase the number of units of fresh frozen plasma produced by our hospital‐based donor service. Sixty percent of eligible donors (1,006 of 1,682) participated in CCP, and 21 donors subsequently dropped out of the program. Of these, only one of four first‐time donors have returned, whereas the majority of established plateletpheresis donors (16 of 17) have continued to donate platelets. Additional plasma was collected at a minimum of 8‐week intervals on the Fenwal CS‐3OOO Plus or COBE Spectra without a change in the requirements for donor testing or the collection procedure. The quality of these platelet products was compared to that of those donated without CCP. There was a small decrease in platelet yield for products with CCP on the CS‐3OOO Plus (mean yield 4.5 × 1011 with CCP versus 4.9 × 1011 without CCP, P < .01). No negative effects were seen on the percentage of products with a minimum yield of 3 × 1011 platelets or on leukocyte contamination. In addition, there was no difference in the rate of adverse donor reactions. During a 12‐month interval, CCP provided 34% (3,798 of 11,266 units) of all fresh frozen plasma for our hospital without additional staff or equipment. The results of this retrospective study suggest that CCP merits further evaluation.