Storage: temperature requirements

6 ASCP MLS practice questions on Storage: temperature requirements, part of Blood Banking. The first 6 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

1. Question 1 · Easy

   Fresh frozen plasma must be stored at:

   1. A20 to 24 °C
   2. B-5 °C or colder
   3. C-18 °C or colder
   4. D1 to 6 °C

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   Answer: C · -18 °C or colder

   Freezing at -18 °C or colder preserves the labile factors V and VIII. FFP stored this way lasts 12 months. With FDA approval it can be kept for longer at -65 °C or colder. Freezer temperatures are monitored continuously, with alarms.

   • A: 20 to 24 °C is for platelets.
   • B: -5 °C is not cold enough to keep labile factors stable.
   • D: 1 to 6 °C is for red cells and thawed plasma.

2. Question 2 · Medium

   Which component is stored at 20 to 24 °C without agitation?

   1. AThawed plasma
   2. BFrozen cryoprecipitate
   3. CPlatelets
   4. DGranulocytes

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   Answer: D · Granulocytes

   Granulocytes are stored at 20 to 24 °C without agitation, because agitation damages neutrophil function. They expire 24 hours after collection and should be transfused as soon as possible. Platelets are stored at the same temperature but with continuous agitation. Cooling would harm both components.

   • A: Thawed plasma is kept at 1 to 6 °C.
   • B: Cryoprecipitate is stored frozen at -18 °C or colder until thawed.
   • C: Platelets need continuous agitation at 20 to 24 °C.

3. Question 3 · Medium

   After thawing, cryoprecipitate is kept at:

   1. A20 to 24 °C
   2. B37 °C in the thawing bath
   3. C-18 °C or colder
   4. D1 to 6 °C

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   Answer: A · 20 to 24 °C

   Cryoprecipitate is thawed at 30 to 37 °C and then kept at room temperature, 20 to 24 °C. Refrigeration can make the cryoproteins precipitate again. A single thawed unit or a closed-system pool expires in 6 hours; a pool made in an open system expires in 4 hours. Thawed cryoprecipitate must not be refrozen.

   • B: 37 °C is the thawing temperature, not the storage temperature after thawing.
   • C: Thawed cryoprecipitate must not be refrozen.
   • D: Refrigeration can make the proteins precipitate again.

4. Question 4 · Hard

   A blood bank refrigerator alarm shows the temperature has been 8 °C for 2 hours. What should be done with the red cell units inside?

   1. AMove them to a working monitored refrigerator, quarantine them and have the medical director decide
   2. BIssue them first, before they expire
   3. CKeep them in place, because 8 °C is within the transport range
   4. DDiscard all the units at once

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   Answer: A · Move them to a working monitored refrigerator, quarantine them and have the medical director decide

   Red cells must be stored at 1 to 6 °C; the 1 to 10 °C range applies only during transport. Units exposed to 8 °C are moved to a working refrigerator and quarantined. The medical director decides whether they can still be used, based on how long and how warm they were. The event is documented and the refrigerator fault is fixed.

   • B: Quarantined units must not be issued until they are cleared.
   • C: Storage requires 1 to 6 °C; the transport range does not apply to a refrigerator.
   • D: Units are not discarded before the medical director has evaluated them.

5. Question 5 · Medium

   The chart shows the logger record inside a cooler of red cell units, read when the shipment arrives 12 hours after packing. What should be done with the units?

   

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   1. AAccept them only if transfused within 4 hours
   2. BAccept them; the 1-10 °C transport range was maintained
   3. CDiscard them; they were above 6 °C for over 30 minutes
   4. DQuarantine them; the 1-6 °C storage range was exceeded

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   Answer: B · Accept them; the 1-10 °C transport range was maintained

   Red cells are stored at 1 to 6 °C but may be transported at 1 to 10 °C. The logger stayed between about 3 and 9 °C for the whole trip, so the transport requirement was met and the units go into the monitored refrigerator. Time above 6 °C during shipping does not matter while the temperature stays at or below 10 °C. Coolers are validated to hold this range for the expected transit time.

   • A: The transport range was kept, so the units are stored normally with no 4-hour limit.
   • C: Time above 6 °C in transit is acceptable while the temperature stays at or below 10 °C.
   • D: The 1-6 °C range applies to storage; shipping allows up to 10 °C.

6. Question 6 · Easy

   At what temperature are red blood cell units stored in a monitored blood bank refrigerator?

   1. A8 to 12 °C
   2. B1 to 6 °C
   3. C20 to 24 °C
   4. D-18 °C or colder

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account