NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA, June 30 – As blood centers throughout America continue to see supply shortages, more are turning to specialized equipment that provides faster plasma freezing times and facilitates higher cryoprecipitate yields.

Hospitals across the U.S. have experienced an increased need for blood that has led to severe shortages. Increased surgeries and a 10% rise in trauma cases, compared to 2019, drive the demand. Though shortages were experienced last year as well in the wake of the COVID shutdown, the stock remained higher than the current supply, which the American Red Cross reports as only a half a day’s worth of Type O blood supply.

Hemophilia A, Willebrand Disease, and even some trauma, burn, and cancer patients cannot produce enough clotting protein on their own. Therefore, transfusions of Cryoprecipitated Antihemophilic Factor, a portion of plasma, the liquid part of blood, rich in the blood clotting factors Fibrinogen, Factor VIII, Factor XIII and Von Willebrand are needed to treat these clotting disorders. Unfortunately, the amount of cryoprecipitate available in plasma degrades over time. Consequently, it is taken from Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP), frozen within 8 hours of phlebotomy, to ensure the highest yields.

AB blood types are the universal type for plasma donations. Since they can give plasma to patients with any blood type, cryoprecipitate can be collected from their donation and provide critical support to serious conditions. According to the Red Cross, a single AB plasma donation can provide up to 4 units of plasma. Increased trauma cases necessitate a rise in donations as well as the implementation of freezing techniques that help maximize the cryoprecipitate yield.

The Contact Shock Freezer from B Medical Systems freezes plasma rapidly and prevents any substantial loss of blood clotting factors in the cryoprecipitate. This lets blood centers get the highest yield possible out of a single bag of plasma. In addition, getting the highest possible yield from a single donor helps reduce the risks of viruses and other illnesses that can be transmitted when cryoprecipitate is combined from multiple donors in order to reach the necessary volume.

Contact Shock Freezers by B Medical Systems provide one of the shortest freezing times available on the market. For more information about Plasma Contact Shock Freezers, visit https://www.bmedicalsystems.com/en-us/solutions/blood-management/plasma-contact-shock-freezers/.

B Medical Systems is a global manufacturer and distributor of medical device grade biomedical refrigeration and the only company offering an end-to-end product solutions certified by the EU MDR, US FDA, and WHO PQS worldwide. The Luxembourg-based company brings more than 40 years of global experience to the North American market through offices in Noblesville, Indiana. B Medical Systems product offerings include medical-grade vaccine refrigerators, laboratory refrigerators, laboratory freezers, blood bank refrigerators, plasma freezers, contact shock freezers, ultra-low freezers, and transport boxes that secure an unbroken cold chain for the safe storage and transport of any temperature-sensitive medical products or samples.