A Controlled Study of the Safety of Pooled Plasma Stored in the Liquid State at 30–32 C for Six Months

A prospective, controlled study of the frequency of hepatitis following transfusion of commercial pooled plasma, stored for at least six months in the liquid state at 30–32 C was performed, using 5 per cent albumin as a control solution. Twelve of 120 plasma recipients developed hepatitis. None of the 46 control subjects developed hepatitis. Fifty per cent of the hepatitis cases were icteric (total serum bilirubin greater than 2.0 mg/100 ml). All of the instances of hepatitis were confirmed by liver biopsy. It is concluded that infectivity for hepatitis persists in some commercial plasma prepared by this technic.