Which of the following has a shelf life of 1 year when stored at -18C or lower?

• A. CPDA-1 preserved red blood cells
• B. Fresh frozen plasma
• C. Cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor
• D. ADSOL preserved red blood cells

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how long each blood product can stay stored at deep-freeze temperatures (-18°C or lower) without losing its value.

Cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor is a plasma-derived concentrate made from a portion of plasma and then stored frozen. When kept at -18°C or colder, it has a labeled shelf life of about 12 months. This long-term stability comes from concentrating the essential clotting factors (like fibrinogen and factor VIII) and stabilizing the product through freezing, which minimizes degradation over time.

In contrast, preserved red blood cell units with CPDA-1 are much less stable: they remain viable for about 35 days when stored at 1–6°C. ADSOL-preserved red cells also have a much shorter shelf life, on the order of weeks. Fresh frozen plasma is stored frozen, but its practical use and handling differ after thawing, and depending on the source, its long-term storage characteristics can be less straightforward; the important point here is that the red cell products are far less stable over a year than the cryoprecipitated factor concentrate.

So, among the options, cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor is the one clearly associated with a full-year shelf life at -18°C or lower, making it the best fit for a 1-year storage requirement.