Aim of the Work: To audit the usage of fresh frozen plasma [FFP] for one year and assess our pattern of usage and misuse. FFP is often requested blood component, but it is inappropriately used despite existing guidelines. The present study was done to improve the quality and to ensure the appropriate use of FFP in patients.
Materials and Methods: A one-year retrospective study was conducted in a Medical College Hospital blood bank during the period of January 2022 and December 2022 by a team from Department of Pathology. Case records and requisition forms of all the patients who received FFP were reviewed. FFP usage was classified as appropriate or inappropriate based on the guidelines by the CAP [College of American Pathologists] and The British Committee for Standards in Haematology.
Results: Totally 10,760 units were issued for 3,020 patients [1,450 males and 1,570 females, mean age 33 years, range Newborn-65 years] in one year. “Acute DIC with high INR" was the most common indication for appropriate FFP transfusion while the use of FFP for “Raised PT/INR without bleeding" was the most common indication for inappropriate transfusion of FFP.
Conclusion: This study showed that 6564[61%] cases was appropriately transfused while remaining 4196[39%] cases was transfused without any supporting evidence. This highlights the importance of knowledge about the appropriate and inappropriate usage among clinicians. So, the interventions needed are education about appropriateness of the FFP indication, regular transfusion audits and training the medical staff at regular intervals.