Determination of rate, causes and cost of wastage of blood and its products in two blood donation centers in Riyadh

Background and aims: Wastage of all blood products is an important issue for health providers worldwide. Optimizing blood collection and processing would reduce the rate of wastage and improve the efficiency of the blood transfusion services. The aim of this study is to determine the rate of wastage of blood and blood components and identify its reasons at two hospitals in Riyadh.

Method: A retrospective study was conducted on the data retrieved from the blood donation centers records on production and wastage of blood products during the period from November 2016 to October 2017 at two hospitals in Riyadh. The data were analyzed with MS Excel and SPSS 20.

Results: A total of 3220 units of whole blood were collected in both hospitals during the study period. The most prepared blood component in both hospitals was packed red blood cells (PRBCs) 96.9%, followed by fresh frozen plasma (FFP) 58.66%, and platelets (PC) 52.67%. The wastage rates for safe blood components during the study period were 3.75% for PRBCs, 6.62% for FFP, and 75.8%   for Platelets. The highest wastage rate of safe blood components was for Platelets (75.8%). The major reason for that high rate was delay in getting the results of transfusion transmitted infection (TTI) tests and some units were expired before released to the blood bank. The total cost for blood wastage was 262,828.3₤ (1,201,125.33 SAR.

Conclusion: This study reported the highest wastage rate for all 3 blood components in comparison with other similar studies which urge the need to take an action to reduce these occurrences.