Effects of pathogen reduction technology and storage duration on the ability of cryoprecipitate to rescue induced coagulopathies in vitro

BACKGROUND: Fibrinogen concentrates and cryoprecipitate are currently used for fibrinogen supplementation in bleeding patients with dysfibrinogenemia. Both products provide an abundant source of fibrinogen but take greater than 10 min to prepare for administration. Fibrinogen concentrates lack coagulation factors (i.e., factor VIII [FVIII], factor XIII [FXIII], von Willebrand factor [VWF]) important for robust hemostatic function. Cryoprecipitate products contain these factors but have short shelf lives (<6 h). Pathogen reduction (PR) of cryoprecipitate would provide a shelf‐stable immediately available adjunct containing factors important for rescuing hemostatic dysfunction. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Hemostatic adjunct study products were psoralen‐treated PR‐cryoprecipitated fibrinogen complex (PR‐Cryo FC), cryoprecipitate (Cryo), and fibrinogen concentrates (FibCon). PR‐Cryo FC and Cryo were stored for 10 days at 20–24°C. Adjuncts were added to coagulopathies (dilutional, 3:7 whole blood [WB]:normal saline; or lytic, WB + 75 ng/ml tissue plasminogen activator), and hemostatic function was assessed by rotational thromboelastometry and thrombin generation. RESULTS: PR of cryoprecipitate did not reduce levels of FVIII, FXIII, or VWF. PR‐Cryo FC rescued dilutional coagulopathy similarly to Cryo, while generating significantly more thrombin than FibCon, which also rescued dilutional coagulopathy. Storage out to 10 days at 20–24°C did not diminish the hemostatic function of PR‐Cryo FC. DISCUSSION: PR‐Cryo FC provides similar and/or improved hemostatic rescue compared to FibCon in dilutional coagulopathies, and this rescue ability is stable over 10 days of storage. In hemorrhaging patients, where every minute delay is associated with a 5% increase in mortality, the immediate availability of PR‐Cryo FC has the potential to improve outcomes.