Reduction in Operating Room Plasma Waste After Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Initiative

• Published in: Anesthesia and analgesia Vol. 126; no. 5; pp. 1662 - 1665
• Main Authors: Meyer, Matthew J, Dzik, Walter H, Levine, Wilton C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States International Anesthesia Research Society 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Evidence-Based Medicine - methods; Evidence-Based Medicine - standards; Humans; Medical Waste - prevention & control; Operating Rooms - methods; Operating Rooms - standards; Plasma; Plasma Exchange - methods; Plasma Exchange - standards; Quality Improvement - standards
• ISSN: 0003-2999; 1526-7598
• DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002364

Anesthesiologists request units of plasma in anticipation of transfusion. The amount of plasma transfused intraoperatively is less than that issued (requested, thawed, and sent). We presented institutional-specific data on plasma usage including anesthesiologist-specific ratios of plasma issued-to-transfused. In month-to-month comparisons from the year before the presentation (June–December 2015) to 7 months after (June–December 2016), plasma issued to the operating room was reduced from 434.9 ± 81 to 327.3 ± 65 units, a change of 107.6 units per month (95% confidence interval [CI], 22–193); plasma discarded by the blood bank was reduced from 109.7 ± 48 units to 69.1 ± 9 units, a change of 40.6 units per month (95% CI, 0.2–81); and plasma transfused went from 188.4 ± 42 units to 160.7 ± 52 units, a nonsignificant change of 27.7 units per month (95% CI, −27 to 83).