A simulation-based apheresis platelet inventory management model

BackgroundThe primary goals of apheresis platelet (AP) inventory management are to meet demand and minimize waste. AP inventory management is complicated by unpredictable demand for a product with a shelf life of only a few days and by hospital requests for APs that match the ABO types of patients identically. Study Design and MethodsA simulation-based decision support system was developed to assist blood centers in reducing waste while meeting the demand for ABO-identical APs. The proposed model is validated using data from a blood center located in a major city in the southeast region of the United States. ResultsBased on data provided by the blood center, the proposed simulation model is able to suggest appropriate collection strategies that can reduce AP waste from 12%-14% to 6%-7% and decrease the unmet demand for ABO-identical APs from 25% to 21%. ConclusionThe proposed simulation-based decision-making model is able to mimic the complexity of the AP inventory management system while reducing waste and predicting the need for ABO-identical APs.