Cryoprecipitate

Q: Why do we call it cryoprecipitate?

Answer: 

The name explains everything. Cryoprecipitate means "cold precipitate". When FFP is thawed slowly at 4 °C, a white precipitate forms at the bottom of the bag, which can then be separated from the supernatant plasma. This precipitate is rich in fibrinogen, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor, factor XIII, and fibronectin - and is called cryoprecipitate. 

One unit of cryoprecipitate is derived from fresh frozen plasma (FFP) prepared from a unit of whole blood. As there is only a little precipitate at the bottom of the bag, 1 unit of cryoprecipitate comprises only a volume of 10-20 mL. Contents:

• 80-100 units of factor VIII, which consists of both the procoagulant activity and the von Willebrand factor,
• 150-250 mg of fibrinogen,
• 50-100 units of factor XIII, and
• 50-60 mg of fibronectin.

Half life is about one year if stored at-18 °C. When ordered (generally given as 6 units at a time), cryoprecipitate is thawed back to 37 °C. Once thawed, it must be kept at room temperature and has an expiration time of 4 to 6 hours.

#hematology

#transfusion-medicine

References:

1. Nascimento B, Goodnough LT, Levy JH. Cryoprecipitate therapy. Br J Anaesth. 2014 Dec;113(6):922-34. doi: 10.1093/bja/aeu158. Epub 2014 Jun 27. PMID: 24972790; PMCID: PMC4627369.

2. Callum JL, Karkouti K, Lin Y. Cryoprecipitate: the current state of knowledge. Transfus Med Rev. 2009 Jul;23(3):177-88. doi: 10.1016/j.tmrv.2009.03.001. PMID: 19539873.