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VIDEO: Red blood cells can withstand longer times in inventory

SAN DIEGO — Red blood cells that were in inventory for 13 days vs. those in the same state for an average of 23 days had no difference on mortality, according to a presenter at the ACP Internal Medicine annual meeting.

Marc Zumberg, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., said this is good news for blood banks.

“[They’ve] had a hard time keeping their inventory and lots of services have requested blood that was, ‘the freshest.’ This study showed that blood that was aged more than their newest products, but well within their normal standards was just as safe as the freshest blood.”

The update was one of several Zumberg provided on hematology at the meeting. He also discussed results of a clinical trial on a first-in-class reversal agent for anti-10a inhibitors, results for crizanlizumab in reducing pain crisis for patients with sickle cell disease, and the results of a meta-analysis of patients on vitamin K antagonists who present with life threatening bleeding.