This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Cryoprecipitate

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Cryoprecipitate is made from thawing FFP and collecting a precipitate rich in fibrinogen, factor VIII and von Willebrand factor

  • developed initially for treatment of haemophilia patients, now mainly used as a more concentrated, hence lower volume for infusion, source of fibrinogen than FFP.

Available from the Blood Services as single-donor packs or as pools of five donations

  • recommended adult therapeutic dose - two pools of five units (or one unit per 5–10 kg body weight),
    • this will typically raise the plasma fibrinogen by about 1 g/L (1).

Indications for transfusion of cryoprecipitate:

  • haemorrhage after cardiac surgery
  • massive haemorrhage or transfusion
  • surgical bleeding
  • as an alternate to factor VIII concentrate in the treatment of inherited deficiencies of:
    • von Willebrand Factor (von Willebrand’s disease)
    • factor VIII (haemophilia A)
    • factor XIII (2,3)
  • as a source of fibrinogen in acquired coagulopathies: e.g. disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)

If possible, use ABO-compatible product. Compatibility testing not required (3)

NICE guidelines recommendations on cryoprecipitate transfusion include:

  • consider cryoprecipitate transfusions for patients without major haemorrhage who have:
    • clinically significant bleeding and
    • a fibrinogen level below 1.5 g/litre
  • do not offer cryoprecipitate transfusions to correct the fibrinogen level in patients who:
    • are not bleeding and
    • are not having invasive procedures or surgery with a risk of clinically significant bleeding
  • consider prophylactic cryoprecipitate transfusions for patients with a fibrinogen level below 1.0 g/litre who are having invasive procedures or surgery with a risk of clinically significant bleeding.
  • use an adult dose of 2 pools when giving cryoprecipitate transfusions (for children, use 5–10 ml/kg up to a maximum of 2 pools).
  • reassess the patient's clinical condition, repeat the fibrinogen level measurement and give further doses if needed (4)

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.