PLT

A Type and Screen for the current hospital admission must be completed prior to the platelet transfusion;  in emergency circumstances, the requesting physician may sign a waiver for emergency release of the blood products prior to completion of the testing.   For some patients, additional hematology testing may also be required prior to release of the platelets for transfusion.  A telephone consultation with a blood bank physician regarding the clinical indications may be necessary for some situations;  the UTMB Transfusion Committee may review some platelet transfusion orders.

Platelets should be stored at transported at room temperature and never refrigerated.  Platelets expire 4 hours after pooling.

Laboratory and Clinical Indications not meeting Transfusion Guideline.

Should increase patient platelet count by 25K - 35K/microliter.

1 hour

Platelets can be ordered and picked up from the Blood Bank lab 24 hours per day  (4.404 Clinical Services Wing, CSW)

Platelet Dose, Leukocyte Reduced Platelets, Apheresis Platelets, Plateletpheresis, Single Donor Platelets, Whole Derived Platelets, Pooled Platelets, Random Donor Platelets

Refer to the UTMB Guidelines for Transfusion of Blood and Blood Components (also known as Transfusion Criteria); a link can be found on the homepage of the Laboratory Survival Guide.

A single dose of platelets will usually increase the platelet count by 25K - 35K/microliter  Documentation of clinical and laboratory response to transfusion of platelets is recommended within 10-60 minutes after the transfusion is completed. 

An adult dose may be provided as a single apheresis platelet or as a 6 unit pool containing at least 3 x 10¹¹ platelets, depending on available product inventory and patient needs at the time of the transfusion.   A pediatric dose of platelets is usually 5-10 mL/kg.

P9019, P9031, P9035

A Blood Bank physician is always available for telephone consultation regarding the dosage or use of blood components, including platelets.