Pooled platelet concentrates: maybe not fancy, but fiscally sound and effective.

For almost two decades, two types of platelet products have been available: pooled random donor platelets (RDP), manufactured from whole blood donations and single donor platelets (SDP), manufactured on apheresis devices. During this period, two trends have occurred--an overall increase in demand for platelets and a preference for the use of SDP. The reasons for the disproportionate increase in the use of SDP relates in all likelihood to supply logistics, perceptions of quality, lack of price sensitivity on the part of prescribing physicians, and minimizing donor exposures in an era of uncertainty and litigation surrounding the allogeneic blood supply. In the cost-conscious 1990s, it is essential to reappraise the situation and perform a critical analysis of the relative value of these products. Such an analysis leads to an inescapable conclusion that preferential use of RDP is the more logical strategy.