Single or multiple RT exposures did not affect RBC quality but slightly promoted bacterial growth in contaminated units. The clinical significance of these results remains unclear and needs further investigation.

Despite several mitigation strategies, false-negative cultures with current PLT screening practices still occur. This report creates awareness of the pathogenicity of opportunistic S. epidermidis, a low-virulence organism, in susceptible patients who may not develop a typical transfusion reaction.

Visual inspection of blood components before transfusion is an essential safety practice to interdict the transfusion of bacterially contaminated units.

The WHO ECBS approved all bacterial strains (except M. morganiiPEI-B-P-74 and S. choleraesuisPEI-B-P-78) for repository enlargement. The strains were stable, suitable for spiking with low CFU numbers, and proliferation was independent of the PC donor.

There is no added risk to RBC safety by increasing RT exposures to 60 min with each removal from storage for up to a total of 3 h during RBC shelf life. Therefore, extending the 30-min limitation in RBCs exposed to uncontrolled temperatures to 60 min should be considered by regulatory agencies.

Testing of outdated BCPs suggests that introducing anaerobic cultures would result in significant PLT wastage due to a high rate of false positives. Contaminated BCPs still escape detection during initial testing; therefore, extension of PLT storage may be possible if repeat screening is performed before transfusion.

A mix of plasma and RBCs is appropriate for CB sterility testing. Interestingly, fungi preferentially segregate to cellular fractions. The clinical significance of the bactericidal /or bacteriostatic effect of antibiotics in CB merits further investigation.

Background: To maintain product quality and safety, the ‘30-min rule' requires the discard of red blood cells (RBCs) that are exposed to uncontrolled temperatures for more than 30 min. Recent studies suggest this rule may safely be extended to a 60-min rule. Methods: A pool-and-split design study (N = 4) was run in parallel at Canadian Blood Services (SAGM RBCs) and Héma-Québec (AS-3 RBCs). RBCs were spiked with ∼1 colony-forming unit/ml of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria. Control units remained in storage at 1-6 °C for 42 days. Test 30 (T30) and T60 units were exposed to room temperature (RT) six times during storage, each time for 30 and 60 min, respectively. Bacterial proliferation was monitored. Results: Mesophilic bacteria do not proliferate in RBCs. The growth of psychrophilic bacteria is not significantly different in RBCs exposed for 30 or 60 min to RT (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study findings were the final evidence to support extension from a 30-min rule to a 60-min rule in Canada.