§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have considered sourcing fresh frozen plasma exclusively from male donors so as to protect against the risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury; and, if so, why such action has not been taken. [HL4250]
§ Lord WarnerThe Government's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation has considered the relative efficacy and risks of the different types of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) available.
The National Blood Service is currently looking at the practicalities of producing FFP from male donors, and a plan has been produced for implementation over the next six to nine months. In addition, all imported FFP for children born on or after 1 January 1996 will come from male donors.
§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 4 July (WA 152)
- (a) when and where the results of the fresh frozen plasma assessment carried out by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation will be made publicly available; and
- (b) if clinicians are free to choose which transfusion product to use, why the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation has recommended United Kingdom single unit fresh frozen plasma and methylene blue fresh frozen plasma from the United States for young babies and children born after 1st January 1996, which have been withdrawn from several European countries for safety reasons; and [HL4252]
Whether they have received any guidance or advice this year regarding the safety and future use of fresh frozen plasma and blood products from the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood Transfusions or the National Blood Transfusion Committee; and what decisions have been taken on the basis of that advice. [HL4254]
§ Lord WarnerThe minutes of meetings of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation (MSBT) will be published on the Department of Health website shortly.
The MSBT has considered the relative efficacy and risks of the different types of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) available to the National Health Service and 67WA recommended the use of United Kingdom single unit FFP as opposed to pooled plasma. However individual clinicians remain free to choose the best product for their patients.
As a precautionary measure all FFP produced by the UK blood services has been leucodepleted to remove the white cells which evidence suggests may carry the greatest risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Although most UK FFP is not virally inactivated, high levels of safety are achieved by using single unit, as opposed to pooled plasma, by screening out potential high risk donors and by testing every unit of donated blood for the presence of infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C before it is released to hospitals.
The decision taken to import FFP from the United States for young babies and children born after 1 January 1996 will provide additional protection to the most vulnerable group who will not have been exposed to bovine spongiform encephalopathy through the food chain. As an added precaution, it is being treated by the National Blood Service (NBS) with methylene blue viral inactivation to further reduce the risk of viral transmission for this the most vulnerable group. The methylene blue photo inactivation system for FFP has a CE mark of conformity under the Medical Devices Directive. In addition, the NBS will be removing more than 90 per cent of the methylene blue before the FFP is issued to National Health Service hospitals.
§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Chief Medical Officer will publish the results of his review of fresh frozen plasma. [HL4253]
§ Lord WarnerThe Chief Medical Officer is not carrying out a review of fresh frozen plasma. We are aware that the British Committee for Standards in Haematology is preparing professional guidelines on the use of fresh frozen plasma.