AN ANALYSIS OF DONOR BLOOD WASTAGE DUE TO OUTDATING IN A LARGE TEACHING HOSPITAL

We analyzed the pattern and rate of donor blood outdating in our hospital from 1986 to 1990. We found that there was a sharp drop in blood outdating since the implementation of the Type and Screen crossmatch protocol. The outdating rate was reduced from 11.5% to 1.3% for whole blood and from 4.9% to 0.4% for red cells. In absolute numbers, wastage of blood due to outdating was cut from 2,570 units in 1986-87 (a 2 yr period before Type and Screen) to only 227 units in 1988-89 (a 2 yr period after Type and Screen). We also found that the outdating rate varied among different blood groups (group 0 < A = B < AB), and the outdating of whole blood was consistently more than red cells throughout the study period. The results of our utilization review were conveyed to local hospitals and the blood supplier in an effort to preserved donor blood.