Appropriate and inappropriate use of fresh frozen plasma

Objective: To analyze the current situation of use and misuse of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in various clinical situations. Methods: This was a cross sectional study done at Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) during a period of 4 months from December 2002 to March 2003. About 300 file records of those patients who received fresh frozen plasma were studied. Each file record was checked for the diagnosis of the patient, coagulation profile and doctor's trigger for blood transfusion. The indications of FFP were checked according to guidelines set by British Committee of Standards and Haematology. Results: Of 1486 units of FFP that were transfused to 300 patients, it was observed that 78.6% (1169 / 1486) of FFP was appropriately transfused while the remaining 21.3% (317/1486 units) was used without any supportive evidence. Conclusion: Although majority of the plasma was used appropriately, a considerable volume of plasma was also wasted.