Stability of coagulation protein activities in single units or pools of cryoprecipitate during storage at 20–24°C for up to 24 h

Background and Objective Cryoprecipitate is a concentrated source of fibrinogen and other plasma proteins. Cryoprecipitate must be transfused within 4–6 h of thawing and storage at 20–24°C. We compared plasma protein activities in single or pooled cryoprecipitate units stored at 20–24°C for 0, 4 or 24 h. Materials and Methods Individual cryoprecipitate units ( n  = 36) were thawed, diluted with sterile saline and sampled over time. Cryoprecipitate pools of eight individual units were assembled either by serial passage of diluent (Method A, n  = 6 pools) or by separate dilution into a single collection bag (Method B, n  = 6 pools). Fibrinogen, factor VIII , factor XIII and von W illebrand factor activities were measured. Results No significant losses in activities were found relative to at‐thaw values after either 4 or 24 h of storage of individual cryoprecipitate units at 20–24°C; 35 of 36 units contained >150 mg of fibrinogen. No significant differences were found between activities in single vs. pooled units of cryoprecipitate assembled using either method, or between cryoprecipitate pools made by Method A (80–160 ml volume) or Method B (160–240 ml volume) at 0, 4 or 24 h post‐thaw; freezing and thawing of pools did not lead to significant activity losses. Conclusion The stability of fibrinogen and other factors in thawed cryoprecipitate stored at 20–24°C suggests that the shelf life may be safely extended to 24 h provided that sterility is maintained.