Background/Case Studies: Platelets have a short shelf life of only 5-7 days; maintaining an adequate inventory while managing low waste can be difficult. For an 837-bed, urban, academic medical center, with a Level 1 trauma center that transfuses nearly 50,000 blood products annually, this challenge can seem near impossible. Demand for this precious resource often outweighs the inevitable waste that occurs with an average daily platelet inventory of 40 units. In 2019, with the help of our blood supplier, we developed an electronic inventory calculator (Figure 1A). By removing the need for experience-based decisions, we empowered all technologists to effectively manage the platelet inventory, ensuring patients’ needs are met while significantly reducing product expirations.
Study
Design/Methods: Platelet stocking targets are determined based on forecasted usage and historic wastage. Platelet inventory is assessed once every 8 hours, and scheduled shipments occur twice per 24 hours. The inventory calculator dynamically updates based on the day and time the document is accessed. It provides technologists with real-time stocking targets, defines thresholds, and factors in quantities scheduled to arrive in the next shipment-streamlining inventory management and reducing waste.
Results/Findings: The average rate of waste due to expiration ranged from 3.94% in 2020 to 0.87% in 2024. Performing an annual review with the blood supplier has sustained scheduled orders at 70-80% of the volume distributed. Scheduled orders were also recently adjusted to allow larger platelet shipments in the evening, when the supplier has a higher quantity of products released from manufacturing.
Conclusions: While most Level I Trauma centers will experience platelet wastage as part of the inevitable cost of maintaining a robust inventory, our large academic center has managed to sustain less than 4% platelet waste for the past two years (Figure 1B), with less than 2% in the past year by using forecasted usage calculations. The consistent use of an electronic inventory calculator provides all team members with the resources needed to manage inventory while accounting for on demand fluctuations.
