Appendix 2: Blood products, their uses, and how long they last

New Zealand Blood Service: Managing the safety and supply of blood products.

Fresh blood products

	Medical use	Shelf life
Plasma	For patients after trauma or transplants	Up to two years if stored below –25°C
Platelets	For patients with some blood diseases or cancer, and to control bleeding after surgery or trauma	Up to five days if stored at 22°C and constantly moved
Red blood cells	For patients with chronic anaemia resulting from disorders such as kidney failure or cancer, and acute blood loss from trauma or surgery	Up to 35 days when stored at 4°C

Products manufactured from plasma

	Medical use	Shelf life
Albumex^®4	In patients with burns or in shock from blood loss	Up to two years
Albumex^®20	To treat liver failure or renal failure associated with severe protein deficiency
Rh(D) Immunoglobulin-VF (Anti-D)	To prevent haemolytic disease in newborns whose blood type is incompatible with their mother
Cryoprecipitate	For helping blood to clot in trauma patients and during cardiac surgery or transplants
Biostate^® (Factor VIII)	To manage haemophilia A, an inherited bleeding disorder that requires lifelong treatment
MonoFIX^®-VF (Factor IX)	To treat haemophilia B, an inherited bleeding disorder
Prothrombinex-VF (Factors II, IX, and X)	To reverse the anticoagulant effect of warfarin in bleeding patients
Hyperimmune globulins	To temporarily protect from a specific infection, such as tetanus or hepatitis B
Intragam^®P	To treat patients with immune deficiencies or those whose immune system has been compromised
Normal immunoglobulin	To protect travellers from contracting hepatitis A when visiting high-risk areas

Source: New Zealand Blood Service (2011), New Zealand Blood Service Annual Report 2010/11.