The appropriate role of frozen‐stored red blood cells in transfusion practice

Frozen‐stored red blood cells (FS‐RBC) held great promise when the product was introduced 35 years ago. They appeared to offer sufficient logistical and clinical advantages to predict wide application in component transfusion therapy in the years ahead. Yet, in 1986, FS‐RBC account for < 1% of RBC product usage. Quantitative, operational, and logistical characteristics of FS‐RBC are reviewed in order to explain their seemingly paradoxical “unpopularity.” The limited indications for FS‐RBC usage in contemporary transfusion practice are defined.