Components should be mixed thoroughly before administration.
If the blood component container is entered (spiked) for any reason, the component expires after 4 hours at room temperature (20°C to 24°C [68°F to 75.2°F]) or after 24 hours if refrigerated at 1°C to 6°C (33.8°F to 42.8°F). Do not allow RBCs to stand at room temperature longer than 30 minutes before administration.
All blood or blood components that are not used immediately must be managed per institution policy and either returned to the blood bank or stored in a monitored refrigerator that has been approved by the blood bank.
Transfusions should be completed within 4 hours and before the expiration date/time of the blood component.
Maximum time for the use of a blood filter is 4 hours.
Transfusion reactions can be life threatening and occur with exposure to even a small amount of blood; therefore, transfusions should be started slowly unless the patient's condition requires a rapid, life-sustaining transfusion. Baseline vital signs should be obtained before initiation of the transfusion and should be reassessed at the end of the first 15 minutes and periodically throughout the transfusion.