Indications for use and cost-effectiveness of pathogen-reduced ABO-universal plasma.
OBJECTIVE
Donor selection and viral screening methods combined with pathogen reduction have increased the safety of pooled plasma to a level which makes reintroduction of ABO-universal plasma an important option.


RESULTS
Solvent detergent-treated pooled plasma has proved to be well suited for the production of pathogen-reduced ABO-universal plasma. One such product, Bioplasma FDP, was licensed in South Africa in 1994 and has since 1996 been in successful clinical use. A clinical study with this product and two studies with the European product, Uniplas, have confirmed the efficacy and safety of pathogen-reduced ABO-universal plasma.


CONCLUSIONS
Pooling of plasma enables the production of ABO-universal plasma. Pathogen reduction with solvent detergent eliminates lipid-enveloped viruses, whereas neutralizing antibodies in the plasma pool and nucleic acid amplification testing ensures the safety for recognized nonlipid-enveloped viruses. Pooling also eliminates transfusion-associated acute lung injury (the leading cause of plasma transfusion-related death), reduces immunologic/allergic adverse events by 60-80% and standardizes plasma protein content. Thus, in addition to ABO compatibility, pathogen-reduced ABO-universal plasma has important supplementary benefits that improve the product's cost-effectiveness.
Solheim
Bjarte G
BG
Institute of Immunology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. bjagees@online.no
Chetty
Rangini
R
Flesland
Oystein
O
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D016913:Blood Component Transfusion / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D010949:Plasma / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System