Assessment of Wastage of Blood and Its Components in a Tertiary Care Center: Uncovering Causes and Rates

Abstract Background: Blood and its components have played a central role in patient care. Nothing can replace human blood, and the demand for blood outstrips the supply. Many factors contribute to blood shortages, including inadequate donor recruitment, poor inventory management, and transportation. This highlights the importance and necessity of properly utilizing blood and its components and ensuring minimal wastage. Aim: This research aims to identify the reasons for the waste of blood and blood components and provide guidelines for reducing the waste. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the regional blood center in ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022. All the components, including whole blood (WB), packed red blood cells, platelet concentrate, and fresh frozen plasma (FFP), were discarded or wasted due to transfusion transmitted infections (TTI) positivity, expired shelf life, hemolysis, broken/leakage units, quality control and lipemia were included in the study. Results: A total of 23,021 units were prepared, and 2315 units were discarded, giving an average wastage rate of 10.04%. During the 4-year study period, platelets were the blood components discarded most (25.61%), followed by WB (9.76%) and FFP (9.06%). Overall, the discard rate was 10.04%. Conclusion: Blood is a valuable, irreplaceable resource, so the blood center must establish appropriate hospital-specific transfusion protocols to minimise waste. To reduce TTI-positive donors and potential professional donors, rapid kits for predonation screening may be started as an additional layer for safety.