Hi Matt

I'm afraid it is up to others to come forward. I can't give you exact figures, but all I can say is that looking at SABRE reports, there are some reporters that operate a policy of less than 72 hours so that they are not caught out by samples that expire after 72 hours. For example, they will collect all the units that have reached 48 hours in the morning in case there are some that go beyond 72 hours over night before the next reclaim. Other hospitals may have several reclaims during the day depending on staffing and location of fridges for example, or may bring units back to the lab after 48 hours so they can then control the release of the blood from the lab within the period between the 48 and 72 hours.

It is for local trusts to decide how to ensure expired or unsuitable units are removed from the supply chain, and there is no "right" or "wrong" answer.