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When we think of blood donation, we often think of it in terms of platelet donation, but some patients who need a blood donation need more than just an infusion of healthy blood platelets. They also need an infusion of fresh blood plasma — and, in some cases, they need plasma alone. With January being National Blood Donor month, hospitals are ready to receive a large volume of donated plasma, which will be frozen until it is needed to perform plasma infusions.

Essential Information for Plasma Labels

For hospital patients, blood plasma is only as therapeutic as the care provider’s ability to preserve the liquid in a fresh state. Freezing plasma shortly after it is collected and labeling its as such (e.g., “Fresh Frozen Plasma”) is a part of the equation, but there are also some essential pieces of information about plasma that should be identified on the plasma container.

Adhesive plasma labels are the perfect option for recording this information and should ideally feature the four important pieces of data listed below. If you need plasma labels that allow your hospital to feature this data, Shamrock Labeling Systems can supply the labels you require.

1. Date Thawed

When plasma is removed from freezer storage to thaw, the thaw date should be recorded on the plasma label to apprise physicians of the precise date on which the liquid was thawed. Plasma is typically administered shortly after it thaws and warms to body temperature, but recording the thaw date is still a good idea in case a bag of plasma is placed in refrigerator storage — as opposed to freezer storage — and isn’t administered as quickly as normal protocols indicate.

2. Expiration Date

An experienced hematologist often knows when plasma will expire just by looking at the thaw date. However, because a hematologist may not be the one who retrieves plasma from storage, it’s a good idea to list the expiration date in relation to the thaw date. Doing so helps nurses, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals who work closely with hemotologists to quickly determine whether a supply of plasma is still fresh and ready for infusion or has expired.

3. Time Thawed

Recording the time of day at which plasma thaws is also helpful for determining its freshness. For example, a bag of plasma that is thawed at 1 a.m. on a certain date obviously has less shelf time remaining than a container of plasma that is thawed at 11 a.m. on the same date. Recording time thawed helps prevent hospitals from inadvertently discarding healthy plasma and helps keep transfusion patients from receiving unhealthy plasma that is slightly past date.

4. Expiration Time

Expiration time is a more refined piece of information than expiration date. Because plasma can spoil over the course of a few hours after it thaws, with the exact time depending on how the liquid is stored after thawing, recording the expiration time as accurately as possible helps support good health outcomes in plasma recipients. Listing expiration time also helps doctors conserve the plasma supply by administering plasma right up to the date of its expiration.

Make Us Your Supplier of Plasma Labels
Plasma labels that contain the information above can prevent two corollary problems: patients receiving spoiled plasma and experiencing negative health outcomes, and malpractice lawsuits that could result from the errors. Labels that have the information above help prevent these problems. To get plasma labels that feature this information and any additional information you may need for your hospital’s plasma preservation system, contact Shamrock Labeling Systems.

To inquire about our plasma labels, or to place an order, please call us today at (800) 323-0249, or fill out the contact form on our website. We look forward to supplying you with the best labels!