Blood Product Utilization Guidelines

CMV-Safe Cellular Blood Products

Last update: March 20, 2020

All cellular blood products (RBCs and platelets) at UMMC are leukocyte reduced, so there is no need to order CMV-negative blood products.
Prestorage leukocyte reduced blood products have been shown to have an equivalent risk of transmitting CMV as products labeled as CMV-negative, and are therefore considered to be “CMV-safe.”
CMV lives in monocytes, which are removed in the leukoreduction process; however, there can be a small amount of virus in the plasma.
Serology is used to identify donors who are CMV-seronegative; however, there is a relatively long window period during which the testing will be negative, but the virus can be present.
Because of this equivalent risk, numerous academic institutions across the country that practice universal leukoreduction no longer allow for the ordering of CMV-negative blood products.
UMMC has implemented this policy, and CMV-negative blood products will no longer be supplied.

Disclaimer

These documents and content on this website are guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because new information is released rapidly, these documents can be updated or changed at any time. These documents are in no way to be considered as a standard of care and the content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information in these documents is provided with no guarantees, accuracy, or timeliness. All content in these documents and website are for informational purposes only and do not constitute the providing of medical advice.